Layoff Employees Need Help…Survivors Need Hope
Posted by Boe | January 17, 2009
Another layoff is announced, and another significant percent of the workforce is being laid off. Thousands are losing their jobs everyday, with no end in sight. Profits are declining, sales are off, and executives are left with no other choice than cutting expenses in order to remain competitive, or simply to survive. The evening news once again depicts many of the well-known companies are making personnel cuts deep into the ranks.
What occurs next is wide-spread fear, anxiety and stress. Many of the workers who are relieved of their jobs are losing much more than income and security, they are losing friends, futures, and even health. Their homes, possessions and mental well being in an instant, are placed at great risk. We know all these things, we hear them every day on the news, read about them in the paper and even discuss them with the very employees being terminated. The statistics are staggering when you examine them. Everyone from the Whitehouse to the outhouse is talking about the economy, layoffs, and statistics. In November alone, employers took 2,328 mass layoff actions involving a total of 224,079 workers according to US Labor statistics.
What is being offered to assist these displaced employees, besides just the unemployment benefits, which fall woefully short? Is there any counseling of employment, emotional, financial, or spiritual help or hope being offered? Where do these hundreds of thousands of individuals and families turn for help beyond the obvious? Local churches, non-profits, and companies who may still be hiring, need to be stepping up and serving the masses who are devastated, hopeless, and unless something happens soon, homeless.
A few practical suggestions for terminated employees might be to tap into some government funding for education during this season, and improving your marketability. Immediately, I would set up a profile on Linked In, Plaxo, My Space or Facebook for higher visibility, so the companies and recruiters who are still searching for quality employees, can find you. If you do not have access to computers at home, the public libraries normally have a few for the general public to use for free. Next, I would begin networking with family, friends, neighbors, churches, coffee shops or anyone you may cross paths with about employment opportunities.
For those surviving employees who didn’t receive a layoff notice, they are probably being asked to increase their workloads, while struggling to overcome the guilt of still having their jobs. The anxiety, increased levels of stress and fear of losing their jobs, and increased pressure to produce more, will eventually wear these employees down. Unless management and business owners proactively offer hope and help to these employees, they will soon observe performance downturns with their remaining employees.
Layoff survivors need businesses to offer them hope for the future, and help for the present, as they press on with more to do than they ever imagined they would find themselves responsible for. Increased pressure at the office, coupled with more and more demands from home and marriage, is almost more than most employees are able to handle.
Corporate Care, Incorporated is offering employees hope and practical help during these trying economic times of today. By placing corporate chaplains in companies for the surviving employees, there is a strong measure of hope that is offered. Chaplains are there for the employees to listen and offer strength, hope, direction, guidance, and options for employees to consider. Armed with many years of practical life experience, professional and business knowledge, as well as compassionate hearts and listening ears, these men and women are there for surviving employees 24/7/365!
It’s not just prayers being offered employees, although we can all use as much prayer as we can get. No, these seasoned professionals are knowledgeable and deeply networked throughout their communities. They are aware of low-cost and no-cost programs through the United Way, churches, and non-profits. Many times they are serving on the board, or are directly relating with organizations that have tremendous resources available for employees.
Additionally, they befriend employers too, offering listening ears and encouraging words of wisdom for them as well. No one feels worse than employers feel about having to layoff employees. The employers are walking around with heavy hearts, if not broken hearts, resulting from having to layoff employees. They are mentally and physically exhausted from the difficult tasks they have been forced to carry out. They need encouragement and hope as much as the employees do, if not more. Most of the employers have very few individuals in whom they can totally confide in. Corporate chaplains offer help and hope to employers and employees alike.
This may be an option your company has never known about, or considered in the past, but with these trying times today, they may be more open to this type of relationship, if someone offers it as a suggestion. Companies all over the nation are now receiving hope and help from some of the most unlikely places. Remember, your employees don’t care how much you know…until they know how much you care! Proving you care in a very tangible and practical way, has never been more important than today. Will you offer hope and help? Will you be there for your surviving employees? Will you allow professionals to become the extension of your caring arm and compassionate heart, or will you keep doing the same thing and expect the results to change?
Corporate Care is making a difference everyday to thousands of employees and employers…what about you? Will you partner with Corporate Care today, and bring the intangible difference to your team? Contact us at www.corporatecareok.com and let’s discuss practical ways we can partner together, helping your employees thrive not just survive. Your People…Our Passion! Placing corporate chaplains since 1987.
Boe Parrish, President
Comments
Boe,
Very unique and multi faceted. Your comments regarding unemployment are both informative and encouraging. Folks need to have an idea about how to go about the TASK of finding employment.
As usual, I feel blessed after hearing from you.
Jim
Hi Boe,
As always, exceptional job! You are blessed with an ability to place yourself in others shoes and imagine what it might feel like.
The only thing I would change or add is that Myspace and Facebook profiles need to be carefully built because if you don’t set your profile to “Private”, people can post comments that are far from professional.
I would love to see you write an article for those of us who were self employed and are now unemployed. I am available anytime to give you my thought, feelings and experiences if you need them.
I have been on several interviews and all of them looked at my self employment as a negative!
Great job Boe,
Allyson Norick
Hope plays a key role in surviving a loss of job. Hope followed with action will lead to a new position. It may not be the position you had planned to accept; but it is a place to go, to earn a pay-check and continue to build your value in the workplace.
I agree with Allyson on Facebook and YouTube. LinkedIn is the best placr to be noticed by the right people. Join groups in which you have a bona-fide interest, answer the questions posed that have value for you and constantly build your network (which may become your net worth).
Your faith will also help you through the rough times.
And we will get through them - - we have before and we will again. We are survivors.