The past four years have been very difficult for the average Nigerian citizen. The economy has been in recession, resulting in most businesses struggling to stay afloat and retrenching workers. As a result, jobs have been lost and companies are cutting back on investment and recruitment of personnel, in essence, worsening the already struggling job market.
Since the economy is yet to rebound more people are losing their jobs by the day. And, losing one’s job is quite traumatic.
Besides the difficult business environment, the rapid use of technology in different industrial sectors is also affecting the number of people in the workplace as machines and modern technology are also making humans redundant, inadvertently leading to loss of jobs.
Any well-meaning employer of labour will tell you that it is a disconcerting experience for an employer to lay off workers. It is a clear indication that his company is not doing as well as it should be doing. Employers are always compelled by dire economic situations to lay off staff.
An employee who loses their job oftentimes goes through an emotional shakeup – The uncertainty of the future – how and where to get daily bread, how to maintain the family and meet financial commitments; rents, bills, et cetera – can lead to emotional stress. However, you experience loss, avoid the temptation to fall apart with worry, instead, assure yourself that it is not the end of the world: “where there’s life; there’s hope.”
How do you cope with the loss?
- There is no need bemoaning your job loss. This is in no way constructive and can lead you to feel victimized. This is a waste of valuable time and energy, which is best, applied to figuring out what to do about your situation. Therefore, accept it and move on. Do a swot analysis of your strengths and weaknesses with respect to your qualifications and experience and figure out your next step to getting a new job.
- In times like this, you need all the encouragement you can get. So, key into your social network of friends and relations who can offer positive encouragement and suggestions on steps to take to re-access your job situation. Your church community can also be helpful. Many well-to-do parishioners of various church communities are always willing to offer a helping hand by way of advice or financial help. Your town union and or village meeting are also good to belong to and they are good for social networking.
- Connect with other people who can employ you. They might not be potential employers but they might know someone who has an opportunity.
- For those currently in employment, social networks are also very useful to have in place in case of a job loss. Therefore, take steps to build them. They come in handy from time to time not necessarily with respect to job loss.
- When in employment, it helps to have what is termed in Nigeria “a side hustle.” This is something you do outside your main work to help with extra income. Your side hustle may become your mainstay should you fall victim to job loss.
- While in employment, it is important to develop a savings culture no matter how small your take-home pay is. However hard it may be, always put aside a portion of your income to help cushion any job loss and help you manage yourself when you are looking for another job.
When you’re still earning, save as much as you can for the hard times. You can have a savings account in a bank or join a thrift club (isusu), among others.
- Job loss can affect your self-esteem. Some people tend to lose confidence in themselves and this might lead reluctance in getting another job. We are all born to win but winning demands a game plan, and executing that game plan.
- Finally, the jobs of today may not be there tomorrow. We must all be ready to face this fact and one way to prepare for this is to get into the mindset that it is never too late to learn new skill sets. We must be open to learn and relearn to keep up with the changing times and the new skills required to remain relevant in the job space.
So, if you need to retrain in order to get a new job, psyche up yourself to get on with it. Remember – where there is a will, there is a way.