{"id":81410,"date":"2024-12-14T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/?p=81410"},"modified":"2024-11-18T20:04:34","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T02:04:34","slug":"3-strategies-to-help-you-thrive-after-a-job-layoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/3-strategies-to-help-you-thrive-after-a-job-layoff\/","title":{"rendered":"Bouncing Back Stronger: 3 Strategies to Help You Survive and Thrive After a Layoff"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Few experiences are as gut-wrenching and emotionally devastating as getting laid off. One minute, I was at my desk, working and checking emails like any other Monday morning, when a sudden calendar invite for a “quick meeting” with my manager popped up. The next minute, my entire world came crashing down\u2014like being thrown out of a plane without a parachute, my life in absolute free fall, the financial safety net<\/a> I was relying on to catch me ripped to shreds before my eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA job is a job is a job, and there is a recovery to come from [the layoff],\u201d says Janine Dennis, chief innovations officer at Talent Think Innovations. \u201cOftentimes\u2026 these things are well out of your range. You can’t really control if your boss likes you\u2026 and you also can’t control what the market is doing.\u201d According to the U.S. Labor Department, in September 2024 job openings fell to their lowest level since 2021<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Bed Bath & Beyond owner, Beyond Inc.<\/a>, and career giant Indeed<\/a> laying off 20% and 8% of their workforces respectively, to the aerospace titan Boeing cutting 10%<\/a> of its workforce\u2014roughly 17,000 jobs\u2014it seems no industry is spared from mass layoffs in 2024. These aren’t just statistics\u2014they are careers and lives upended as skilled professionals are thrust into one of the most uncertain job markets in recent memory. Staffing firm Mondo compiled an extensive list of companies that have laid off employees<\/a> in 2024. However, layoffs are not a career death sentence. They can be a launchpad for transformation to bounce back stronger than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"SUCCESS<\/a>\n\n\n\n

Here are three strategies to help you survive and thrive after a layoff:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Allow yourself to grieve, then get over it and take action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It’s normal to grieve for a few days after a layoff, but remember you lost a source of income, not a life. In most cases, you’ll be forgotten by your coworkers within two weeks, a month, if you’re lucky. I got home that Monday, bought a giant cheesecake and a massive tub of ice cream, and watched \u201980s action movies for three days straight. By Friday, I was ready to get down to the business of rebuilding my career. Those few days of grieving were necessary, but I knew it couldn’t last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some, a layoff can be a redirection, as Miranda VonFricken, founder and host of the podcast Own Your Awesome<\/em>, discovered firsthand. After surviving four layoffs, she decided to become an entrepreneur<\/a>. She says that after her first layoff, bouncing back became like an Olympic sport for her. \u201cI had been laid off three more times in the matter of the next four years,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd so the rejection started to look like a redirection for me. And mindset-wise, I started to flip the switch and say, maybe this isn’t happening to me; it’s happening for me\u2026 I wanted to really own the idea that I was being redirected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transform your layoff into a strategic reset with these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. First, take 72 hours to a week to grieve using a healthy coping mechanism to manage your emotions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Next, start your comeback like a typical work day. Take stock of your recent achievements and then create two lists\u2014your immediate financial adjustments and your nonnegotiable daily routine.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. With your routine set, reach out to your contacts for leads and explore potential career shifts. Approach your recovery plan like a flight checklist. It should be methodical, time-bound and designed to get you back on track.<\/p>