3.1 Redundancy

Depending on the circumstances, experiencing redundancy can be a challenge to anyone’s resilience.

Resilience coach David Ogilvie (2020) offers 8 ways to deal with it resiliently:

1. If you’re going to take it personally, make it quick – it’s the role that’s being made redundant, not you, and thinking of it this way can help.
2. Drop the cynicism about any offer of free support available – take any support offered and make it work for you. It can often open up opportunities.
3. Stop looking back and focus on what you want to gain – try to see yourself as a transferable skillset and consider using your redundancy money to obtain relevant skills or qualifications.
4. Don’t carry around baggage – don’t share your anger or disappointment in subsequent interviews.
5. It’s not falling in the water that makes you drown, it’s staying there that does – in other words, take action, take a first step and work from there.
6. Look around you – focus on the good things in your life like family, friends and activities, and make time for them.
7. Put yourself first and the business you are working for second – continue to be professional and constructive but realise that now is the time to put your needs and interests first.
8. Look after your mental health – it’s important to prioritise your wellbeing. Try to open up and talk to someone you trust about your feelings.

As you can see from this advice, using support networks and prioritising self-care are key to maintaining career resilience in this situation.

When someone is made redundant, although the impact is felt most significantly by that individual, there can also be an effect on the remaining staff. The next section looks briefly at the potential impact of staffing changes on career resilience.