Reach Out... :o)

Introduction:

All right, I believe this is my first LinkedIn article, at least using the new "write article" button, so bear with me...

News on my side, my role was eliminated in late July after working a total of 20+ years; but this article is not about sharing the specifics of what happened or what to do when you are laid off (by the way the role elimination sounds better than being laid off; but at the end of the day, I was laid off very first time in my career), that might be another article, so stay tuned for that one...

?The real story:

“Why haven’t you contacted me before,” he said… I could not answer him first, I wasn’t sure… I then said, “I wanted to give you some space and I did not want to upset you”

I was also very upset; the moment I had to tell him that this was his last day at the company was one of the worst moments of my career; I could easily see the disappointment in his eyes when I shared this with him… Then we grabbed our coffee and chatted about what he plans to do next and I shared some wisdom with him about what to do. I am very sorry that I have not contacted you sooner “A”, please forgive me.

This conversation happened a week after I had to lay off one person from my team, I will not share the who or the company, to this date, we are still connected with this individual.

I spent an afternoon with my dear friends who were laid off after a huge layoff at one of the companies I worked at; it was a little sad but I am so glad I got to spend more time with them, and laugh and talk about our time together. We are still connected, I ate lunch with one of them- thank you “M”!

On another occasion, one of my dear friends at work pinged me right before he was laid off and told me he is going to have the 15-minute meeting in 15 minutes; I was also upset to hear this and told him he would be fine (and he is fine) but I contacted him that day… We are still connected; he called me as soon as he learned about my layoff- thank you “K”!

So why am I sharing all these with you…??? This was a huge lesson learned for me; “Always contact a person who is laid off that you worked with”; this can be your manager, your peer, a team member, or a colleague that you say hi to in the mornings… Because 99% of the relations I build at work are not due to the company I work at but it is due to me liking you and respecting you as a person, I am not compassionate because I have to be; I am compassionate because this is who I am and who I choose to be every single day. The other 1%- yes those are the relations I need to build at work for my team or for the company.

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So, I asked ChatGPT; why people do not contact people who are being laid off and some of her answers are below:

1-Awkwardness or Uncertainty: Colleagues may feel uncomfortable or unsure about what to say. They might not know how to approach the conversation or fear saying the wrong thing.

My response: If this individual is someone you care about; Reach out! TI first felt a little awkward about reaching out to my team member; given I was the one who laid him off, but I will always reach out (except for the 1% above) and worst case the other person will tell me not to reach out. Do not feel weird reaching out; offer to help or to listen.

2- Guilt: Sometimes, those who remain employed feel guilty about still having their jobs and may avoid reaching out to avoid confronting these feelings.

My response: Only 25% of Americans have savings to cover 6 months’ expenses; so I am so glad you have a job. Do not feel guilty and reach out!

3-Change in Dynamics: Relationships at work often center around shared experiences or projects. Once someone leaves, especially through a layoff, those connections may seem less relevant or strong.

My response: Still, it is ok to reach out and ask the person how they are doing.

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4-Professional Distance: Some colleagues maintain boundaries between work and personal life. Once a person is no longer a coworker, they might not feel the need to keep in touch.

My response: I understand and respect this.

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I am very thankful for everyone who contacted me- I was surprised and glad to hear from multiple people that I partnered with- THANK YOU!

This article is about increasing awareness to reach out to people who are laid off. (It is not about being upset or angry about people not contacting me)

It is more than OK to reach out to people who are laid off and whom you partnered with; laughed together, and delivered key results.

Be a compassionate human!

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E.T.

September 8, 2024

Terrell, NC USA

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*** Stay tuned for my future articles about Supply Chain, Key Leadership principles, and life…