Coping with bad news
The changes you are experiencing may cause a profound sense of loss to employees and their families. Adjustment to loss typically follows a predictable pattern, although any individual’s experience may vary.

Initially, many people have feelings of shock and thoughts of denial. They may be thinking, “I can’t believe it. This can’t be happening. I can’t absorb it.” After reality begins to set in, people may experience angry thoughts and feelings. Angry thoughts such as, “How can they do this to us?” are common. Feelings of hopelessness and depression often follow anger. These thoughts may include “Why me? Why does everything happen to me? I can’t handle this.” Additionally, it is normal to feel nervous or anxious about how these changes will affect you. Eventually, most people do recover fully from their losses and experience feelings of acceptance. Acceptance is reflected in thoughts such as “I didn’t think I’d get through it, but I did and I’m ok” or “Things happen for a reason.”

If you are having feelings of despair or severe anxiety, or just want help adjusting to these changes, you may wish to seek help from a trained counselor or your employer's employee assistance program.

Layoff survivors: you didn't lose your job, but you still feel bad
A job provides a sense of belonging, security and identity: in fact, many people define themselves by what they do for a living. Attachment to a job is accompanied by feelings of control, known expectations and loyalty. A threat to job security threatens much more than loss of income.

One doesn’t have to personally experience losing his/her job to understand the traumatic effects of layoff on those who have been let go: layoff affects every employee in some way. Those who remain also feel loss: loss of co-workers whom they have come to depend on personally and/or professionally, loss of the perception of a secure, predictable, benevolent work environment. They may feel guilty about seeing people they really care about lose their job while they keep theirs. They may worry and wonder what happened to those who left....

• Find out more (www.airparktransitioncenter.com/Layoff Survivors - How to do more than survive.PDF) [122k pdf]

Discussing a job layoff with your family
The loss of a job can put a big strain on the family. A complicated job search coupled with the stress of rebudgeting can try the strongest of relationships. Yet, most families are able to cope and emerge stronger for the experience. Some families even find that new avenues of communication and appreciation for careful money management are acquired by both adults and children as a result of a job loss....

• Find out more (www.airparktransitioncenter.com/discussing a job layoff with your family.PDF) [110k pdf]

Coping with job loss
The impact of termination goes well beyond shaking a family's financial security. Job loss ranks with death and divorce as one of life's most stressful events. Strong negative emotions —anger, inadequacy, humiliation, anxiety, depression, and a host of other feelings —are not uncommon and are fully understandable following the loss of a job.

Nevertheless, negative emotions are not conducive to moving forward. If you start taking them along in your personal relationships and job interviews, they can be destructive.

Job loss is also a very personal experience, which people handle in very individual ways. Maintaining a positive outlook may not come easily to everyone, and may require serious effort on your part. A sincere effort to follow some of the following suggestions, however, should be beneficial....

• Find out more (www.airparktransitioncenter.com/Coping with job loss.PDF) [114k pdf]

Employee Assistance Program
Check to see if your company has an Employee Assistance Program.

Home ownership and mortgage assistance

• Save the Dream: Ohio's Foreclosure Prevention Effort (www.savethedream.ohio.gov) and brochures outlining resources available in your area.