What should you do if you've been laid off?
Q&A with career and leadership coach Phoebe Gavin
A big thank you goes out to Phoebe Gavin, a career and leadership coach with over a decade of experience in the media industry, for sharing her top advice on how to prepare for, navigate through and deal with the stress of layoffs.
Gavin also has a free 60-minute workshop on how to layoff-proof your career that includes strategies around financial resilience, networking and growing your skills.
What should you do if you've been laid off?
Feel your feelings. Feeling anger, resentment, disappointment, frustration or anxiety is normal. But just because you FEEL something, doesn’t mean you have to DO something. Intense emotions tend to encourage people to act rashly and (often) against their long-term interests. So the most important thing you can do in the face of a layoff is take a beat.
If you’re offered severance, review it carefully. Ensure you completely understand the terms and conditions of any agreement you sign in exchange for severance – especially if there are non-disclosure, non-disparagement or non-compete clauses. Running it by a lawyer before signing is always a good idea.
Use your benefits while you have access to them. Spend your FSA. See if the employee assistance program includes legal guidance or financial planning. Squeeze in any health appointments. Tell your doctor you’re losing your insurance and ask for extra refills. Most importantly, book a therapy session.
Activate your network immediately. With so many mass layoffs across all sectors of the economy over the last few years, being laid off has been effectively destigmatized. You may feel embarrassed, but no reasonable person will think your layoff is your fault. Let people know about your situation right away. Don’t be afraid to post publicly.
Put people on pause if you need to. Day 0 is when you’ll get the most offers of support. But it’s also when you’re least likely to be able to do anything with them. It’s OK to say, “Thank you so much for the offer. I’m still processing right now and not quite sure what the right next move is. Is it OK if I reach back out to you in two weeks? Even if it’s just to chat?” People will say yes.
When you’re ready, ask everyone for help. The people in your network want you to be successful and will generally be willing to take some sort of action. Make it easy for them to know how to help you by making specific asks. This template is a great tool for organizing your thoughts and communicating them to your network.