How Does Redundancy Affect You?

In an economic down turn the resource sector often tightens its belt and reduces the number of employees and contractors.
Redundancy and personal impact
Redundancy can strike at the core of your sense of worth and identity. Work is important and often defines you as a person and gives purpose and meaning to life. Therefore a redundancy can have a profound impact. It can be very hard not to take it personally; ”I have been made redundant” is a common response. It is really important to be clear it is the role, the job, the position that has been made redundant and try not to make it mean anything about you.

Families and Resilience
As well as a personal challenge, a redundancy can mean a huge upheaval for family, possibly relocating and a change in lifestyle (moving towns, reduced income, no longer doing FIFO ). How well you adapt depends on your ability to deal with change and your resilience. A resilient person has ways of thinking and acting which means they cope well with challenges in life.

Loss and grief process
When a redundancy comes out of the blue or is unwanted, be prepared for a loss and grief process, which needs to be worked through. Anger, sadness, fear and frustration are common and understandable emotions in any grief process. It takes time to reach a point of acceptance. It’s not just about the loss of the job, its also the loss of identity, loss of the provider role, the loss of familiarity, the loss of a routine and workmates who maybe akin to family, especially when doing FIFO.
If you or your family are struggling to come to terms with redundancy then it is really important to seek support and talk about it. Your EAP could be a good start as you need to deal with some of the feelings you have; the sadness, the hurt and disappointment. Working through the emotional turmoil and getting help to make decisions is vital.

Beyond Blue also has a booklet about taking care of yourself following redundancy.