When you "survive" the layoff

The news of layoffs across the tech and media sectors is disheartening. If your LinkedIn feed looks anything like mine, announcements of former colleagues and clients who have been impacted by yet another RIF seems like a daily occurrence.

Outside of my 1:1 client work, I’m hoping to do my part to help these folks by sharing A LOT of open roles on LinkedIn and connecting them with relevant contacts within my network.

And yet there’s another group of people struggling, seemingly invisible behind the scenes.

The ones who “survived” the layoff.

The employees being asked to perform two and even three roles at once.

Those who have dramatically increased their hours without an increase in pay.

The loyal team members who are burnt out and feel they should stick it out and be grateful they have jobs.

If this is you or someone you love, I have two recommendations for navigating this challenging situation.

1. Acknowledge your grief.

• You’re experiencing the loss of partnership and collaboration with your former colleagues who are no longer part of the team. Yes, you can stay in touch and if they’re important to you–you absolutely should make an effort to do so–but you know and you are correct. It will not be the same.
• You also may be feeling loss around what you thought this team, this year, this work would look and feel like. It’s not what you envisioned or hoped it would be and in order to create something new–it’s important to be truthful about what no longer is.

2. Honor and own your boundaries.

• You may be asked to push beyond what’s possible for your energy, your mental health, your worth. Get quiet with yourself and the people who love you. What do you need in order to make this work for your organization and for you? Practice asking for what you need. And ask again when the request doesn’t stick. If your boundaries are not respected, you have some data to help you know whether or not this situation can be navigated on your terms.
• You may be asked to step back into work you’ve moved on from, work that’s more junior and is not energizing for you. Get creative in how you can set boundaries here. Work that is not energizing for you may be a professional development opportunity for others. Also, you can use your strategic expertise to build better systems and processes so you can minimize time spent on these tasks. Practice saying no to taking on these tasks while offering another solution for how it can be handled.

Lastly, I would go forth with compassion. Assume best intentions from all parties. And most importantly, do all of the things you do to refuel when you’re in a challenging situation.

Admit to yourself, yes you have a job, but you’re still in a rough patch – and you need to take care of the only person that can get you through it. That’s you, friend.