You have been laid off!

You have been laid off! The dreaded 5 words for any working professional!!!! When we are employed, have a regular pay check, the transient nature of our job never crosses our mind. Our sub conscience suppresses the fear and gives us a sense of perpetuity which makes us happy and fearless at the same time. I earn 1 CR a year, why not get a merc and a 4 BHK… The jeans have to be branded, the white shirt to be expensive, the shoes need to be classy but hey a denim costing 5k and a designer denim costing 20k…does it matter?  Is anyone gonna check out the label of the jeans that you are going to wear, is it even going to be visible with this over sized stylish shirt that you guys have on…..may be not. But hey I earn a cr a year, I can afford it…right??

Now, cut 2, layoffs have been announced and unfortunately you are one of them. Suddenly you have a full stop to your monthly monetary inflow… now what? You have a severance package you can survive, you had a cr an year for so long, you have savings but what next????

The uncertainty of future is mind numbing but the peer pressure is the one that is most crushing. What will Mr XY say. Miss AB is the boss’s pet and is still there despite not achieving her targets consistently for last 8 months..why me… What did I do wrong..why..why ..why…

Post the shock, the angry and depressive phase kicks in, blaming the world and being a pain in the @** for people who care for you.

We are human beings, emotions drive us so no sweat…we have a right to feel wronged ..a right to cry ..a right to be angry..a right to be disappointed…. a right to lash out to the world…..yes, go ahead… vent it out and then what?  This is a done deal, the reality, the fact, now what???????

Guys and Girls, layoff is not the end of life. I know it is easier said then endured.. The astronomical school fees, the expensive EMI’s, the wages for domestic help…driver salaries to be paid …yes understood, but what’s happened has happened, can we change it …No….then what to do.

This is where I say, take a step back and calmly think. Calculate all the essential expenses which you will have to incur per month, postpone unnecessary purchases…check your savings and see how much can you survive on your interest income without touching your nest egg. Once you have it on paper, you would realise that your severance package will tide you over for a few months, your interest income for another 3 so effectively you have 8-9 months to look for another endeavor.

Please believe in yourself and if you think you are good and you have it in you… Nothing can pull you back ..you will be employable and you will tide by. Just break the barriers of titles and minimum CTC, start afresh and then the sky is yours.

The reason why I am sharing this today is after seeing the plight of friends who have been hit by this unfortunate wave of layoffs and their reaction to the catastrophic event.

I am seeing the superbly confident questioning their skills, the go getters hiding from friends & colleagues… The ever smiling becoming sullen and in extreme cases suicidal….why???? It’s a job, at the end of the day, a JOB… It gives you a means to live but it is not your life.

As long as you have a family and a set of close friends, you are sorted. We as human beings are wired to survive and you will survive.

Trust yourself, get ready…wear a smile and start your job search…..there are multiple water bodies if not oceans…you will find your pond to swim…so all the best…go out there and conquer the world….