Losing your job and finding your way forward
Are you working in a university and experiencing restructuring? Is your job at risk or the jobs of your colleagues? My guess is that a large proportion of those reading this blog are – or certainly have been – in this situation. If you work in the university sector you will know the facts and no doubt will be feeling their impact. Universities are in crisis - these are the press headlines that greet us regularly in the UK. Over 40% of universities have reported huge deficits and it is estimated that over 10,000 people will lose their jobs due to downsizing. You might want to pause on that number just to get a feel for how many individuals, families and local economies are affected. The UK is not alone. Consistent reports from the USA and Canada also highlight the number of closures and cuts in universities. In Australia, fiscal stringencies are biting.
The Ripple Effect of Job Loss
The sad fact is that the unsought ending of a job can lead to multiple cascading losses that have cumulative and longstanding impacts. A review of the international evidence on involuntary job loss presents a stark picture of ‘deep and persistent negative consequences’. These include a sharp drop in earnings in the immediate term with a continuing wage penalty.
The concerning fact is that the financial and career outcomes are worse when we take account of the intersectional impacts of gender, race, class, age, religion and disability. In a recent study of redundancy processes in a manufacturing plant in Denmark Lassen and Ivandic (2023) confirm existing research that indicates that:
· job loss leads to persistently lower earnings and higher unemployment rates.
· Women experience a 45% higher risk of remaining unemployed after losing their jobs.
When Lassen and Ivandic compare similar men and women on observable characteristics, the majority of the gender gap in the risk of unemployment remains.
For those with children, the difference in employment and pay outcomes between mothers and fathers is even greater.
Their research confirms the impact of educational levels on re-employment with those who are less educated facing more adverse outcomes.
They also note the probability that the chances of re-employment decrease with age. Because of course ageism is rife in recruitment.
If this is not enough to contend with, there are significant psychological and emotional impacts of job loss. These can include a sense of powerlessness that combines with anger, shame, and a feeling of humiliation together with anxiety and stress about the future.
Alongside many in roles that they see as a vocation, Watermeyer and colleagues comment how many people who work in universities see their role as more than a job. This creates deep levels of emotional and affective engagement where personal and professional identities merge. Losing your job can be deeply traumatic. That involuntary job loss can cause post-traumatic symptoms, and depression, is well-researched in the psychological literature.
It can though be that the depth of loss – equivalent to the death of an identity – is experienced in the same ways as any bereavement. In this respect, job loss should not simply be viewed as a bump in the road from which one needs to quickly move on. Rather it is akin to the loss of a person. Common grief reactions include a yearning for what is lost, a sense of bitterness or numbness and difficulty in coming to terms with what has happened. For some, grief becomes more persistent, and the sense of loss lingers. Psychologists refer to this as complicated grief characterised by difficulties in moving on and causing long term suffering.
If any of this feels familiar to you, then read on. I promise you there is a good life after forced job loss even though it might not feel like it currently.
Three take-aways to move forward
Take stock
It is easy to stay in a particular career-track without really giving a lot of thought to what it is about your role you enjoy and what you will sincerely be glad to see the back of. When I reflect on my own situation I know that I miss the community that comes with having paid employment. But the one thing I know that I don’t miss from my previous roles is the hours and hours and hours spent in meetings. What really generates your energy and what drains it? If you have never done one before, Strengths Profiling is a really good way to understand what skills and aptitudes you have that create the passion for your work. You can do a free short one here.
Update your CV! This is the most obvious ‘take stock’ item. Does it really convey your skills, capabilities and the impact you have made in your work? There are lots of free CV templates on the web if you google this. There are also CV writing companies that - honestly – can do a good job for you of building your profile in a way that you can’t do yourself. One key message I would share about CVs is that you need to show the impact you have had in any role, not just the responsibilities.
Review your networks. Networks are crucial to job moving – whether it is a forced job move or entirely self-motivated. Who might you speak to about opportunities elsewhere? Who can support you through this transitional period? The very amazing Amazing If? company is worth checking out – and worth checking out generally – for their advice on building networks.
Take a risk
When something has been taken from us, our instinct is to try and get it back. We look for the same kind of role in the same kind of institution hoping that our lives can return to a ready familiarity. For some, there is no choice because financial and other life commitments are such that options are limited. You may not be able to move to the other end of the country because of school or elder care. You may not be able to consider self-employment because you are the main income earner. So this may not be a time in your life when you can take risks. But, you know, your future happiness might well lie in doing something entirely different. Since I started Women-Space, I have met so many people who are thriving in careers post their university employment. Perhaps now is the time to break free?
One of the findings of research on those who have experienced redundancy and other forms of involuntary exit is that it forced them to really consider what was important to them. Leaving a “good job” such as university employment can feel incredibly risky – especially when you are emotionally and financially vulnerable. But you can take baby-steps – for example, volunteer in a field you are passionate about; do some professional development to add to your skills; or take an interim role that provides some immediate financial security but exposes you to working in new environments.
Take Time
I don’t think any of us should underestimate the emotional and psychological costs of finding yourself in a situation of forced job loss. The imperative, of course, is to just get back out there and move on. If you recognise some of the signs of trauma or grief in your responses that I have outlined, give yourself the gift of time. Whilst the classic model of grief suggests five linear stages, my experience is that you can move backwards and forwards across the whole grief cycle at any point in time. Allow yourself to feel the anger of grief as well as the denial. If you are feeling tired or hopeless, sit with it for a while. Most of us get to the acceptance stage at some point and are ready to move on. If you are finding that difficult then counselling may well be an option. But you do need to give yourself and your emotions the time they deserve.
What can help with this is to spend some time working out what has happened. This is, as Sallie Maitlis remarks, a process of sense-making that can give you back a sense of control over your situation. Many years ago, I experienced some rather horrible bullying. As I have researched more into this phenomenon, I have come to more fully understand what was actually happening around me – something I could not make sense of at the time. Indeed, in the initial aftermath of those experiences I blamed myself and went through all the things I should have done differently. As Sallie notes, when individuals focus on their mistakes and what went wrong, they create diminished versions of themselves and can struggle to move on. It is here, in coaching terms, that clients are encouraged to revisit the narratives they are telling themselves and work on how they can revise them to enable personal growth. There is a nice summary here at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy that will give you an introduction to this. My coaching supervisor, Andrew Scott, has also written a whole book on it that you will find here.
A new door will open
Remember the saying: When one door closes, another opens. It may take time, courage, and persistence, but you have the tools and resilience to step through that next door when it appears.
You’re not alone on this journey. I hope some of the advice and resources here provide inspiration and guidance. Whatever path you choose, know that a fulfilling and joyful future is within reach.
With the warmest thoughts
Christina
Professor Christina Hughes is Founder and CEO of Women-Space Limited designed to support women who work in universities to flourish.