People are getting laid off or being retrenched all over the world. This is also happening in Malaysia, the country where I live. As parents and if you have a family to support, it is a serious thing to happen. There are several cases or scenarios why the organization is laying off workers such as:
- The entire organization is closing down
- The organization is streamlining or restructuring
- Less priority positions may be cut off first
- The new staffs may be let go first
Should you feel ashamed or embarrassed for being laid off? You may have these feelings on top of feeling depressed. People who are retrenched also go through different emotional phases like the following:
• Denial
Some people may find it hard to believe at first that the situation is real and their mind goes blank refusing to dwell on the actual fact.
• Confusion
Feeling confused may happen after the denial stage. The person may be wondering why this is happening and may feel hurt and angry at the same time. They may also think that the organization made a terrible mistake of retrenching them in the first place.
• Letting go and coping
Letting go means finally accepting the real situation and ready to move forward. A person may start to thing about future plans and dwell less on the past job or life. Although he may not know what lies ahead, he may be feeling more optimistic and have confidence about the future.
These people can also expect to have low self-esteem for a while. On top of that, there is also a lot of self-blame for the whole situation.
In addition to the emotional stress described above, the affected person may also experience physical symptoms. It is not uncommon to have the following physical symptoms:
• Loss of appetite or having indigestion
• Sleeplessness
• Feeling extremely tired
• Loss of sexual feelings
Knowing all of the above does not help much with the bad situation. It does however help in accepting and coming to terms with what is happening. People who are unexpectedly laid off will experience all or some of the above. Hence if you are one of them, accept what you are going through as a natural part of the whole process.
Do you know someone who is facing the above situation? Understanding what the person is going through may enable you to help him.
If you have an experience to share about this subject, please feel free to leave some comments below.
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