When recessions happen, nobody’s job is safe or secure and the sword of the pink slip hangs over all our heads.

But nothing can beat the job losses and layoffs that have taken place after COVID-19. Not even the global economic meltdown of 2008.

In the early days of the complete lockdown, Quora was filled with questions from professionals who had been made redundant asking for legal advice and help. Many businesses either downed their shutters or sent their employees on unpaid leave for long periods. There was no guarantee of a job if the business reopened.

I was horrified to learn that many people didn’t even get their statutory dues. Even despite the government having made it clear that no action should be taken to create a problem for workers.

It reminded me of the times I had been laid off during my 3-decade corporate career and how the management in those companies had handled the situation with compassion and care. They made sure I got my dues and the goodwill that has stayed over the years.

I still trust those companies and am a proud member of their Alumni Groups on LinkedIn.

But it’s not always like that

Compared to a few decades ago, redundancy has become a normal word in our vocabulary. Yet it doesn’t reflect the impact on the affected worker.

For many professionals, their very identity is tied to their job and when that is gone, they feel lost.

It doesn’t matter if the employer had to let them go because of economic conditions or a company decision to reduce head count in a merger or restructuring. The individual does get affected in more ways than one would think.

There is the immediate and even longer-term financial aftermath the employee will experience. Research repeatedly shows the lasting impact layoffs can have on individuals’ emotional and mental health.

It is not uncommon for the laid off person to experience emotional and even physical reactions to losing their job.

One area we need to address is how job loss affects our Trust

Back in 2015, I had read about a study done by Manchester University that revealed that workers who’d been laid off are less willing to trust others. Those doubts can linger for ten years or more even after starting a new job.

The study was part of a bigger collaboration between Manchester and Harvard University where they focused not only on the individual but the community as a whole.

While the study didn’t empirically look at why people’s trust in others went down, it could have been that sense of betrayal and change in perception about the world.

People are taught to work hard for their employer and receive rewards for their efforts but when they’re made redundant, it is confusing. After all, they’ve played by the rules, right?

To be honest, that’s exactly how I felt when I experienced my first redundancy shortly after the Gulf War ended. While the rest of the office along with the then Country Manager went back to their countries, I stayed and worked on all my assignments with my supervisor in Doha.

When the war ended and things were back to normal, I think the stress finally took its toll and I fell sick. The doctor prescribed complete bed rest and I was given sick leave.

Then I got a call from the office that the Partner who had come for a visit from Bahrain wanted to meet me. Of course I went in, completely sick and weak.

He was nice to me but dropped the bombshell that the offices in the region were downsizing and they had to reduce the Doha office to half. The principle to be applied was Last In, First Out.

He was very nice about it and was appreciative of my efforts. I was given the option of taking 3 months’ salary and exiting or working on a 3 month notice. I was promised a good reference.

My supervisor suggested I work out the notice period while I tried to find a new job in a recessionary economy which I did.

When I look back now, it was a generous offer as I was statutorily not entitled to it, the Partner wanted to tell me himself instead of my supervisor who was now the Country Manager but yes, I felt let down.

After all, when the menfolk ran away to their countries, a female employee stayed behind and worked. And she was being given the boot on a silly last in first out method!

It was my first real job after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant. This wasn’t how I expected my career to start.

But I did go places after that and when I discovered the Partner on LinkedIn almost 25 years later, I sent an invitation to connect and he accepted it.

Roslyn Tanner Evan’s who is a former career counselor now turned jewelry designer addresses this point in her powerful post 5 honest job loss truths that need to be shared. It is a must read if you are facing this situation right now.

If you lost your job or just value a workplace with a culture of trust, there are ways to build that sense of community.

I’ve heard of people literally being told they were being let go of with about 10 minutes to pack up their desk and then being escorted out of the building.

This usually happens in high security and confidential companies and if that happened to me, I know I’d have a trust issue going forward. That in itself is a traumatic memory that can create a distrust of all employers and affect our work.

Consider these suggestions for steps you can take yourself and qualities you can look for in your next employer.

Steps to take for building Trust in the Workplace

Give trust to receive trust. Trust is a two-way street. While it will be challenging at first, make the first move to overcome your fear of betrayal.

These are new people and a new beginning. You’re more likely to gain the confidence of your new colleagues by demonstrating you trust them. Keep the healthy boundaries but go into work with a positive frame of mind.

Become known as a professional who walks their talk. Align your actions with your speech. When you commit to completing a project or report within a timeline, do it and let your supervisor know about your progress or roadblocks. Become a role model for others.

Express gratitude. It’s the little things that make the biggest difference. As my emotionally intelligent first mentor told me, small gestures matter.

In all my jobs, I always made it a point to say good morning to every staffer I saw on the way to my office. It was simply good manners but I got the best return possible – in one of those jobs, the pantry man was so touched that I saw him as a fellow worker that he’d make sure I had a mug of coffee at my desk within 5 minutes of my arrival even if the other Managers had to wait till coffee time.

He’d found out I had a long commute to work and this was his small gesture in return for a simple morning greeting.

 Another colleague used to bring back chocolates for the team when he’d come back from vacation as a gesture to thank us for taking on his work while he was away. We were always happy to have him back.

Don’t hog all the praise. Learn to share credit. Most victories are team efforts. Show your colleagues that you understand and appreciate the role that they play in putting together a board meeting or cleaning up the break room. If you’re the manager, take the team out for lunch or arrange a special outing to let them know they are all part of the success story.

Value relationships. The quality of your relationships determines the level of trust you’ll enjoy around the office. Treat others with respect and compassion. Be willing to compromise on individual issues so you can maintain positive office relationships.

Above all, demonstrate emotional intelligence when dealing with others.

Think of it as an opportunity to regain ground in your career and move forward with a positive mindset.

Qualities to look for in an Employer in your Post Redundancy Job

One of the biggest trust issues after a redundancy comes down to our having faith in future employers.

Not every employer is the same and sometimes a redundancy can lead you to a new job where you’ll love the new employer and want to come in to work.

So how will you figure out if the employer is the right one for you?

Here are a few things to research about the prospective employer.

What’s the turnover at the company? This is an important indicator for finding a good employer. Trust and engagement are closely related, and engaged workers tend to stay on the job longer.

Different industries have different turnovers depending upon demand and supply of skilled labor but it’s a good idea to ask about the turnover rate when considering a job offer to avoid joining a long line of predecessors with short tenures.

Proceed from the ground up. Trust is part of the job description at each level in an organization. Feeling comfortable with your supervisor and the co-workers you’ll see daily may be more important than any statements from the CEO.

Are they open to new ideas and encourage innovation? Are suggestions greeted with enthusiasm? Are employees commended for trying to increase quality and save money regardless of whether their proposals need some refining?

When I worked in the Insurance Sector, our Managing Director used to have Monday breakfast meetings with the entire office.

We’d go over targets and sales and everyone, even from outside the specific department would be encouraged to share ideas that might help us meet our goals.

The end result? We’d overshoot our goals sometimes and adjust it against the lean months.

Practice fairness. Another indication of high levels of trust is a commitment to justice and fair play. Does the company have a robust code of conduct and ethics? Do the same rules and discipline procedures apply to entry-level employees and top management? Are employees empowered to use their own discretion and judgement to complete assignments?

Reward competence. Naturally, trust thrives when you and your employer believe in your ability to do the job.

Employers who provide training and constructive feedback may help you to put your redundancy behind you and move on with greater confidence.

One of the best indicators I have experienced in finding a job after a redundancy is the compensation package that is offered.

There are employers who would take into account your weak positioning. Especially if you’ve been unemployed for a long period of time.

Others will demonstrate their confidence in your ability by offering you a package commensurate with your experience and skills.

It shows they value what you’re bringing to the table and not out to grab a bargain deal. It’s also how you retain good talent and build the human capital of an enterprise.

Losing your job is a serious event, so take the time and effort you need to heal. The good news is that you can learn to trust again.

Wherever you find your next position, your actions can help you to put your career back on track and become a valued member of your new team.

Additional Resource

I provide a complete roadmap and guidance for finding the right employment in my Job Search Success Bundle. Click the preceding link or on the image below to learn more.

 

Mid-December is usually the time when many of us go into a contemplative mood about the year that is about to come to a close.  This activity can make or break our sense of self-esteem and confidence.

Wins are remembered with a smile.

Sometimes there is a shudder remembering goof ups that couldn’t be converted into later wins. It really is okay, you know. As my Scottish boss back in my British Gas days used to tell me to take it on the chin and move on.

Best piece of advice I can offer to you too.

What about you?

Have you started reflecting yet or will you get to it post-Christmas?

Here’s my own example.

I took stock of the achievements (e.g. achieving my dream goal of 3 bestseller books with my 5^th Kindle book without using any of the guru tactics at launch and finally setting up my online course school).

The hits and misses. Including participating in giveaways that weren’t aligned with my business WHY or fit my tribe’s interests, though they were really good ones. After chalking it up to experience, prepared to move on in positive motion.

I let go of that which hasn’t worked. My survey revealed my subscribers aren’t into webinars and teleclasses even though the *gurus* claim it’s the next best thing since sliced bread for educating your audience.

Instead I concentrated on improving those activities and tasks that can get me closer to my goals. Like knowing  now what my audience wants for a free 5 day challenge!

I took courses to learn skills that I needed for the next stage of my journey. I’m focused on improving my professional and personal life.

It’s preferable to look forward, accepting that time that has passed won’t come back.

Then look toward the New Year as a time to achieve all that we couldn’t.  We now have the benefit of hindsight and lots of new knowledge that wasn’t there at the beginning of the year.

This strategy needs practice and there is no iron cast time limit. The point is to start your journey.

You’d be surprised how much analysis and planning can be completed provided you have self-confidence, self-belief that you have what it takes and this is 1 step in your journey to success.

That’s where healthy self-esteem and appreciating our uniqueness of Self comes into the picture.

3 Indicators of good Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence

Self-esteem is totally personal and is a learned behavior. It is not something you have but something you do.

In a world that is constantly changing, your interactions with the world do impact your self- esteem which can be defined as self-image, self-worth, and self-confidence.

The point to remember is that you have control and influence over your self-esteem.

What are the signs of a healthy self-esteem?

Here are 3 indicators based on my observations:

Self-Acceptance

Self-acceptance is important because until you acknowledge your uniqueness, nobody else will. When we embrace ourselves with love, we raise our energy frequency and transmit a message to others that this person is confident in their own skin. They command our respect. We become attractive. We exude presence and gravitas.

I’ve seen it in action with friends and colleagues who on the face of it weren’t best looking, most successful or even most knowledgeable in our group. Yet they commanded respect and their opinion and perspective counted in any setting. That in fact is presence, or gravitas.

I still remember during my first job as a trainee auditor, there was a gentleman, Rajesh, in our office who, despite numerous attempts, never passed the final accountancy exams to qualify as a Chartered Accountant but he was highly respected and in charge of some of the most prestigious engagements of the firm.

The fact that despite his knowledge he couldn’t ace the exams didn’t stop him from living to his potential. He had accepted his weaknesses, identified his strengths and played on the latter.

We all turned to him for guidance on audit issues and he was considered a walking encyclopedia. When he died of a heart attack a few years ago, the entire group of trainees from that time felt the loss at a personal level. The thought that he never qualified and we had didn’t enter our minds!

Bravely face challenges

Self-acceptance means that you aren’t afraid of facing challenges that will take you outside your comfort zone.

Accept that you might make a few mistakes while navigating uncharted waters. You know you aren’t perfect.  Who is?

Instead use the experience to learn more about yourself and any weakness that needs to be overcome. Failure can teach us a lot about ourselves.

A person with low self-esteem on the contrary would blame others or put himself down continuously for the mistakes that he commits.

Not feeling the need to prove one-self to others

Continuing with Rajesh’s example, he had a high sense of self-worth and didn’t feel the need to prove himself to others or prove others wrong.

For sure, we were admonished if we made mistakes but we knew when we had goofed up. A person with low self-esteem would have used the opportunity to put the other person down to look better. Not in this case. In fact, as each one of us qualified in our exams, he was always the first to congratulate us.

People with healthy self-esteem and confidence don’t feel the need to shine – they are already the beacon for others!

Good self-esteem means you don’t compare yourself to others or see only their strengths and then let the gremlins put you down further. Like good old Dr. Seuss points out, You are You.

7 Ways to top up your Self-Esteem Bucket

A beautiful concept that I read a long time back and want to share with you involves the self- esteem bucket.

The idea is that we are all born with a perfect bucket and throughout life from the moment that we are born; we keep filling up this bucket with all the good things that together make up our healthy self-esteem.

All negative inputs act like holes being pierced in the bucket. If the inputs never catch up with the leakages, the end result is low self- esteem.

There are many ways to ensure that your inputs keep your self- esteem bucket filled up, prevent negativity from making holes in the bucket and repair the holes that have already been made.

Self-esteem and self-confidence can be improved in many ways:

Work on your mind set. One way is through daily affirmations that program the mind towards being positive.  Combine the affirmation with creative visualization of what you would like to feel or in meditation to make it more effective.

Here’s a video on visualization that I’d made some time back to help you with the process.

Use your strengths and acknowledge areas for improvement and work on them. (Suggested reading: My post Successful Birds Set Goals Differently)

Focus on things that are under your control and stop fretting about things where you can’t intervene.

Practice detachment. Sometimes situations arise where we can’t do much but we can control how our mind thinks. That’s where your mindset is important.

Don’t take things too seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself.

Doing the necessary Inner Work to break down roadblocks to achieving your true potential. I cover this in my book Self-Confidence in 8 Steps where you’ll take the necessary actions to do the inner and outer work for building healthy self-esteem and self-confidence.

Focus more on positive moments and interactions

In other words, start focusing on praise rather than criticism. Retrain your mind to appreciate what’s going right rather than complaining about what’s wrong.

Be mindful in your interactions and consider how your words impact others and trigger a response that puts you down rather than up.

At the same time, there can be situations where in the course of our interactions with others, even brief ones, their words or actions can create leaks in our Self-Esteem Bucket.

The interaction causes a ‘dip from our bucket’ leaving us with negative emotions rather than fill our bucket with positive emotions.

An example that comes to mind is the boss who criticizes your work. It wasn’t because you did a bad job. Just that  the timing coincided with the boss being pre-occupied with something else. The boss may not be in a perpetual crabby state of mind but in the moment, you’ve received the dip.

If you are experiencing this situation, I highly recommend reading How Full Is Your Bucket? .

This #1 New York Times and #1 BusinessWeek bestseller is organized around a simple metaphor of a dipper and a bucket, will show you how to greatly increase the positive moments in your work and your life – while reducing the negative.

Having healthy self-esteem is important. It gives us a positive outlook in life that cascades into everything we do, whether in our personal or professional lives, our relationships guarantees our journey to success is smoother.

Have you ever faced issues with your self-confidence or self-esteem? How full is your bucket?