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Your Layoff is Bigger Than You

December 12, 2008 | Author: Promise Phelon | Filed under: The Networking Habit

These days, we can’t help but worry about the economy tanking and unemployment taking off.

There’s nowhere else to look. And it’s not over yet.

Experts forecast the rate of unemployment will climb from 6.7 percent currently to 8.1 percent in the second half of next year.

While we wonder where the axe will fall next, and say goodbye to cut-back colleagues, consider some research that suggests the impact of layoffs goes beyond corporations.

A recent study finds that people who lose their jobs are more likely to withdraw from their communities.

Although it’s an understandable tendency, it’s also an unfortunate one for the individual and their community. If people facing job loss remain active in their communities, those communities will probably end up helping them, in the form of contacts, opportunities or simply good karma.

The September 2008 issue of the journal Social Forces reported that those who had been laid off or involuntarily lost their jobs were 35 percent less likely to be involved in community activities than continually employed counterparts.

The findings come from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, involving almost 4,400 participants who were followed for over 45 years. Employees who faced layoffs between the ages of 35 and 53 (compared to the group aged 53 to 64) seemed more likely to withdraw from:

  • religious activities
  • charity work
  • group recreation

“If workers withdraw socially after being laid off, then they’re experiencing double-jeopardy,” said lead researcher Jennie Brand, commenting on the survey in a LiveScience article. “They’re losing their jobs, and then they’re not participating in society, so they’re not keeping up with social contacts that might help them find a new job.”

While it may be infinitely more tempting to curl into a ball than to announce to your social circle that you’re unemployed, the former strategy won’t help.

People who lose their jobs may feel shocked, scared or even betrayed. But, in today’s economy, they certainly shouldn’t feel alone.

“When so many layoffs are driven by the slowing economy, there really is no need to feel any shame when picking up the phone to share the news with someone and ask for support, job leads or introductions,” writes Marci Alboher.

While Alboher continues to write her own blog about career development, her New York Times blog, Shifting Careers, was a recent victim of cutbacks.

Those who do eventually find work, but hang on to that heads-down, gotta-work-harder-to-keep-my-job mentality risk falling into a career trap. This attitude makes it more difficult to build and maintain relationships. And there’s no doubt that healthy careers depend on healthy networks.

As career columnist Anita Bruzzese says in a post about How to Survive When Your Company’s Ship Sinks:

“If you find yourself out of work, remember to be good to yourself. Surround yourself with positive thinkers, take care of your body with proper nourishment and rest, and do whatever sustains your soul, whether it’s yoga, gardening or attending religious services. Do not hesitate to ask for help from friends, family and colleagues. Most have been in - or will someday be in - your situation.”

Related resources:

Try our Network Readiness Evaluator

Is There A Silver Lining in the Job Loss Cloud?

How to Handle Getting Fired

Jobless in December? Advice from Recruiting Pros

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 12th, 2008 and is filed under The Networking Habit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

xygoxen

1 person has left a comment

Wow, spot on!

One of the things these times have made even more clear is that there is no corporate loyalty to employees. So surround yourselves with those who will return loyalty–family, friends, personal and professional acquaintances, service organizations…

My hard-learned experience is that a squeaky wheel gets greased–and that if your boss sees that you are actively networking, they know they have to keep winning you over. And if that fails…

Even in these times, opportunities abound for those with the eyes to look for them; not only as a solution to losing a job–maybe now is time for that next bold career move.

Dan Post wrote on December 13, 2008 - 1:04 am | Visit Link

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