To coincide with the online publication of “Turn Redundancy Into Opportunity” – a book about coping with redundancy in the UK – HowTo.co.uk takes a look at what you can do to get you back into work.
Redundancy comes as a shock to anyone who’s been in work for a long time. The early days are the most disorienting. All the work reflexes are still functioning. You’re still not used to the idea that you don’t actually need to be doing some things. Work creates its own rhythms, and the sense of timing is affected.
You’ll find yourself taking a tea break at the usual time, probably even getting the same thing for lunch. You’re still in contact with some people from work, and you’re right up to date, albeit second hand, on all the news.
It’s not exactly easy on the nerves, to break the habits of years. There’s a distinct feeling of something missing. You are instinctively feeling alert, ready to function “as usual”, and there’s nothing there.
A New World
Added to which situation, someone has unkindly (or perhaps thoughtlessly) placed a world in your vicinity, from which you were previously immune. A simple walk through the neighbourhood when you would normally have been on your way to work can be a revelation. It’s quite simple to go to do some shopping and come back feeling like an alien.
Your Finances
Then there’s the financial issue. With a bit of luck, you took a bit of financial padding with you from the redundancy, but what to do with it? So far the only really obvious fact is that you want to stay solvent, preferably affluent.
Advice, there is plenty, and a sense of direction is nowhere to be found.
That’s the real problem. Where are you headed? Where do you want to go? What do you want to do?
There are, believe it or not, some actual answers to these questions.
Money.
Hang on to it. Don’t spend, if you don’t have to spend. Make a realistic, not suicidal, budget, and try, hard, to stick to it. Put the bulk of your money somewhere safe, accessible if absolutely necessary, where it can make money for you. Keep the costs covered, and you will have that intolerable situation well under control.
A new job
Think about this. You’re fresh out of the workplace, with experience. You do have a working, current, set of skills. What’s needed now is a step up, preferably covering the effects of the down time without wages. You could actually wind up financially ahead in this scenario. It really can be done.
Social security
Make a point of knowing the pros and cons, as soon as possible. It can be a real bother, if you find yourself stuck in a cycle of getting nothing done, with forms to fill in on a regular basis to remind you of the fact. The other side of the equation is that it can help cover costs and reduce outlays. That’s important, so don’t overlook any entitlement that has some practical uses.
Social life
Thanks to the wonders of modern economics, this is arguably the most expensive part of human existence. Eating a decent meal in a restaurant could yet be classified as a spectator sport at this rate. Budget ahead, see if you can have a bit extra when you need it.
Talents
Being made redundant can be a blessing, if a well disguised one. Most jobs only use a fraction of anyone’s skills. Talents are left begging, in some cases, for the sake of making a living. If you can find a way to make your talents pay, you have a real opportunity to create a new job for yourself, on your own terms. Recent studies have shown that people engaged in work they actually like, where they have strong aptitudes, are not only far happier, but far more productive. You can also potentially create a second income stream, so it’s worth a look, for that reason alone.
Redundancy can help you redefine your life into what you want it to be. That’s a real personal achievement.
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-Ends-
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