Reframing Redundancy: Redundant to Abundant
Reframing is a powerful tool psychologists have been using for decades to help people deal with childhood trauma. How can we leverage this tool as adults, particularly during times of uncertainty?
My invitation to you is to start seeing being made redundant as a gift, as an opportunity for growth, rather than a shameful threat. Redundancy is not a sign of weakness, it’s neither good nor bad - but a mere neutrality.
The sooner we can embrace redundancy and see it as the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that it is, the sooner the universe will open up and show us what is possible.
Most redundancy settlements offer a normal wage for 3-6 months and you don’t have to work 8+ hours per day. This time is intended as a financial buffer to allow you the time to make the best possible decision for your future - please, use it wisely.
Time to Grow (and go)
When we are pushed outside our comfort zone, that is exactly when we may find the most opportunity for growth. I have personally witnessed countless instances where people who have been made redundant have ultimately concluded that it was the best thing that could have happened to them. They either ended up using their gift to have an incredible life experience, took a much needed (albeit forced) career pivot or landed a more fulfilling and often more fruitful role than they had before.
Remember the dot.com bubble in the late 90s and the mass redundancies that followed in the millenium? I’d be curious to know exactly how many of the innovative tech companies we know today evolved as a direct result of these layoffs. Without the .com bubble bursting, pure-play staples like Ebay, Amazon and Meta wouldn’t have thrived. Redundancy forces growth, encourages innovation and importantly, forces us to act… now!
The Redundancy Myth
The truth is, employees aren’t made redundant because they aren’t good at their jobs. In fact there are often strict laws (including in the Netherlands) against dismissing people for this reason.
Most people are made redundant from companies for these reasons:
Economic shortfalls or lack of investment
Company restructure
Change in strategic direction
Often this negatively impacts those who have joined a business recently or those who share a similar business function (for example, an entire team gets laid off), but definitely doesn’t mean they are any less skilled or talented than retained employees. It's unfair to say companies use redundancy as “a way to get rid of people” (this is the exception, not the rule!).
Life Happens For Us, Not to Us
The problem arises when employees see it as a personal attack and deploy a stance of “why me?”. This creates a situation where the employee loses confidence in their own ability, questions their value and worst of all, “panic-signs” a new contract, settling for the first role that comes up.
If you could only believe wholeheartedly that your redundancy is, in fact, not about you but purely about the business, then the door will open for the magic of life to flow in. Have you ever considered that maybe this is the universe's way of telling you that there is something better out there for you? That the uncertainty that follows is exactly what you need for your development, growth and evolution as a human?
Redundant to Abundant
Been made redundant recently and don’t know what to do next?
Start a free-flow journal habit and brain dump your thoughts daily. Watch the clarity start to emerge! Request a free copy of my journal prompts booklet
Seek advice from a professional (use your outplacement support budget if you have one!) - it’s an uncertain time and it helps to have support and guidance along the way
Learn something new. Learning a new skill creates new neural pathways in your brain, boosting memory, creativity and longevity. What is that thing you are super passionate about but you’ve never had the time to dedicate to it? It doesn’t have to be related to what you did before, that is the beauty of it. Now is the time!
Do what you need to do to calm your nervous system. Exercise, meditate, spend time outdoors. Anxiety is the last thing you need for your wellbeing and will cause you to make impulsive decisions. Once you learn to relax and embrace the situation life has thrown at you, you can start enjoying that extra time with your family and nurturing your passions.
Take-Home Message
If you can deploy unwavering self-belief through the uncertainty and doubt for long enough to find a career you love, you have not only won the redundancy game, but learnt a vital lesson too. You have learnt to surrender to the inevitable ebbs and flows that life brings.
If you know someone who needs to read this right now, go ahead and share it with them. You can read more of my content here. If you’d like to find out more about 1:1 coaching or personal branding, you can do so here.
