|
Hi Subscriber First Name, Welcome to the first edition of my monthly newsletter! I’m excited to create a space where I can share practical career insights, strategies, and resources from my perspective as a vocational psychologist. Each month, I’ll explore the psychological side of work—how we make career decisions, cope with change, manage burnout, and navigate the ups and downs of working life. Whether you’re just starting out, mid-career and reevaluating, facing a layoff, or approaching retirement, this newsletter is here to support your career journey. You can expect thoughtful guidance on career exploration, job searching, work-related stress, and transitions—with a focus on helping you find direction and create a working life that feels meaningful and sustainable. Navigating a Layoff This month, I'm highlighting a topic that many professionals face at some point in their careers: layoffs. In the 1980s it became more common for companies to use mass layoffs as cost-cutting strategies. Nowadays, most employees work under a cloud of job uncertainty, especially when they hear rumors of reorganizations, reductions, rightsizings, or mergers. Government jobs were once seen as more secure, but as I write this, thousands of federal workers have been laid off and changes in the economic market will undoubtedly affect more workers’ jobs in the future. This month, the topic of layoffs is not only timely, but personal. My husband is being laid off after 15 years of being a loyal and hard-working employee. He somehow kept his job through multiple company reorganizations, but his years of institutional knowledge were not enough to save him this time. The initial shock has now worn off, and we are in active strategizing mode. What should we tell the kids so that they don’t worry? Can we afford next semester’s college tuition? Should we cancel the summer vacation at the North Shore? Is this the perfect time to make the career pivot he had been dreaming about? What does he want to do next? And we have been reminded of the importance of having fun and connecting with others because living in a state of constant stress kills your mental and physical health. I’ve helped dozens of clients navigate a layoff and land on their feet. I have worked with them to grieve losses, clarify goals, rewrite resumes, and move into the next phase with renewed competence and confidence. And I also get firsthand how stressful and destabilizing the experience is. How it affects your whole life and can shatter your confidence and make you question your value. But I am here to tell you that you can get through it, regain a sense of control, and move forward with clarity.
|
