Handling a Layoff (or Other Involuntary Separation)

Layoffs can happen to the best of us – and yes, it has happened to me in the past. Not through any fault of my own (of course!), but as they say, sh*t happens.

There are several stages in dealing with a traumatic event like a layoff. Different sources may have slightly different lists, but for me it goes like this:

1. Shock
2. Denial
3. Anger
4. Bargaining
5. Depression
6. Acceptance

Shock means it takes a moment for the news to sink in. “What just happened here?” is what you ask yourself, and you wander around in a daze.

Denial is where you tell yourself that this can’t be happening, that it’s all just a dream (or a nightmare). Or they surely must have made a mistake, and your name should have been on the promotion list instead of the RIF list?

Anger is where you curse your employer for having the gall to lay you off, after all you’ve done for them. All that hard work, the best years of your career down the drain.

Bargaining is where you try to negotiate with the company for a second chance, or more time, or at least a better severance package.

Depression is where you feel sorry for yourself, thinking that with this stain on your record you’ll never find another good job. How long will you be unemployed? How painful will the loss of income be?

Acceptance is the part where you basically decide to deal with it and move on. This is where you start polishing your resume and posting it online. The sooner you can move to this stage, the better off you will be.

I have gone through this myself, more than once in fact. And I think it's an experience that everyone should go through if only as a learning experience. Once you are the subject of a RIF you look at the job market differently; you learn that you, and no one elsehave to actively look out for your own career and well being.