The boss calls you into the office and tells you “we are downsizing and your position has been eliminated.”  You’ve been laid off.  Whether you saw the signs coming or not, those words are no less hard to hear.  I know, I’ve been there.  If you hate your job, it may be easier to hear, but if you are passionate about your job, it can be heartbreaking.  No matter what, it means a life change for you.

How are you going to handle being laid off from work?

1.  Shock

We often begin with shock.  It is hard for us to really believe that we will no longer be working at our current employer especially if we have worked there for quite a few years.

2.  Anger

Next, we will often become angry.  This is a very natural response.  We may blame our management for “poor management.”  We may think they were “picking on me.”  Or it “just was not fair to pick me.”  This is also the time that we could become angry with co-workers who may have kept their job.  We need to realize that this is not their fault either, and it is probably just as hard for them to see the security of their job threatened.  They have no idea if another layoff could come that would cause them to lose their job in a few months.

3.  Reality

Then reality comes crashing down.  We begin to realize the financial implications for our family and what words like “unemployment”, “Cobra”, and “rolling over your 401k” mean.

I would encourage the following steps to handle being laid off from work:

Find a Trusted Advisor

Find a trusted advisor who can help you and your spouse (if married) walk through this time financially.  This person can help you look at items objectively such as do I really need cable? (Yes, you can live without it.)  How about eating out?  How can I reduce my spending there?  And what are the implications of Cobra (government based health insurance for the unemployed)?  You may want to consider talking with a Money Management Mentor at www.moneymanagementmentor.org.

Create a “crisis survival budget”

This a budget that will help you see what income level you need to survive.  Begin by putting down what expenses you have that must be paid such as home mortgage, utilities, and food.  Then add in auto, insurance, and medical.  Eliminate everything that you can possibly live without.  This should be bare bones – no movies, no eating out, etc.  Just what it takes to survive.  Then calculate your unemployment using the calculator your state offers on their Job and Family Services webpage.  Using this number, you will be able to see what your survival looks like.  Do you need to pick up immediate part time work in your area until a permanent job can be found?  Or can you survive short term?  Or do you have savings to help make up the short fall?

Remain Open with Your Spouse

Remain open with your spouse during this entire time!  The worst thing that can happen is for you to shut down and not talk with your spouse causing marital damage during this financially instable time.  You’re hurting and so is your spouse.  Share that pain and fear together.  Then seek to overcome it by working together, praying together, and reading God’s Word together.

Look for a Job

Begin actively seeking new employment.  Brush off that resume, and pick up a few books from the library on finding a new career.  Then pray and get out there with your best foot forward.  God knows your next step and will be there to lead you in to it!