Advance Notice: It Has Happened to Me

This has happened to me once in my career. I believe if you are going to be laid off, an advance notice it is the best way of finding out because it gives you time to go through the emotional news, tell your family and prepare yourself financially, while still keeping up the rhythm of work for a few weeks (or months).

This can also allow you to develop your job search plan as well (which can be a blessing and a curse). Because you can start looking for work right away, by the time the severance package is delivered, you can have some confidence you may already have a job offer. My advice to you is understand the rules surrounding your eligibility for severance before you accept a position someplace else.

In some cases accepting too early can invalidate your severance package. I had about one month of early notice (sometimes called "pre-notice" in the biz). Since I have given this exact same message to many people before, the news was easier to digest for me, athough it's never fun-- a point I always try to keep in mind when telling other people, even if they will be receiving a financial windfall from it.

The first person I talked to afterwards was my current boss (who I love working for). She was let go as well and had received the same news. It was actually helpful that she was being laid off as well, because we could sort of commiserate together and use each other for sounding boards on our job search strategy. After my boss, I called my wife who was devastated when I told her. I think for her it was more shocking because while I had prepared her for this possibility, it had not happened before so she may have thought my warnings to be somewhat apocalyptic.

In any case, after her I told my Mom and Dad and then later on in evening, I told the kids. At around 10 years of age, the kids were old enough to understand the essence of the message -- we are all okay, we don't have to move or sell our house, we may need to tighten our belts a little and eat out less. Christmas may be a little less spectacular (I was told in August that I would be laid off in September). So they were fine.

That night was surreal though. I remember there was a big storm that blew-in. Storms in my part of the country always have a big lightening show to accompany them. As I watched the storm, I felt a gnawing in my stomach. It was not the feeling I hear many long-term employees describe when they are laid off, "Justin, I feel like I've just been kicked in the stomach," but it was a close cousin to it. I managed through it.

What I reassured myself with was the following:
a) I've done a good job. I knew from past experience I had to resist the natural inclination that everyone has to blame themselves or look for fault in one's own actions. It just usually isn't the case -- if you find yourself being laid off, do not label yourself. Applying a label is the most damaging thing you can do to your own self-worth and self-confidence. In my case, I had to replay my "good deeds" in my mind to innoculate me against the other part of my head that was telling me I was deficient somehow.

b) I have an advanced degree and 14 years of experience in a specialized profession -- I would be able to find another job before my severance package runs out (and I did!).

c) the final thought was I had 6 months of severance. The 6 months of severance was in addition to the one-month of advance notice which had started that day (August 4th for me). It was this final thought that kept me calm for those first few days. I know that 6 months is a rarity having worked at three large corporations, this was the biggest package I had ever seen offered (and I had only been there 18 months). The average amount of severance is far-far less for most Americans (two weeks is pretty standard).