From Medical Leave to Job Loss

The current economic conditions have hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work. As of July 2009 the unemployment rate was 9.4% (http://www.bls.gov/cps/)1. These Americans face many challenges as a result of their job loss. As a person who has experienced job loss recently I can provide insight to the various challenges related to my personal experiences with job loss.

I was employed in the non-profit social service sector. This type of business is notorious for dramatic change, especially with the changes in contracts and other sources of funding. I observed the reduction in funding provided for our services several times but those changes were not due to the economy. In the time I was employed I experienced loss of contracts in other areas in our local office which included seeing others lose their jobs with very little notice. In spite of witnessing these changes, I felt less susceptible to job loss. My position was that of support staff, the only staff supporting the offices largest program. The economy did play a part in my job loss.

I was the sole individual who had the skill set, job responsibilities and experience. I consider myself a model employee; I was willing to go the extra mile for the client as well as my co-workers. My reviews had always been good and I hadn't had any disciplinary infractions. On paper I can find no reason for my dismissal. I know that there was a reduction in funding being awarded for the program in which I spent all of my time working. The change was not originally thought to be a reduction however, when it became apparent that the funds being generated were less than anticipated my position was eliminated.

There is more to the story however. In the months leading up to my dismissal, I was asked to train another staff as my "back-up." I did this not only because it was asked of me but with the understanding that having one person capable of performing a duty is asking for trouble. Once this individual was trained I was asked to let her keep it fresh by doing it once or twice a week. Once again I did this because I was asked by my supervisor. However, this was still my responsibility so everything she did I considered my duty to verify for accuracy. This proved to be important for catching errors and noticing the red flags that came with experience.

Just two months prior to my dismissal I became unable to work for medical reasons. My leave of absence was approved both medically and through my supervisor. During my leave I met with my supervisor to discuss my leave and my expected date of return there was no mention of possible job loss. Within the next 1-3 business days received a phone call from my supervisor informing me that my position had been eliminated for the following year citing budgetary reasons. I had been out of the office for four weeks on medical leave when this phone call took place. I was due to return to the office three weeks later. The day before I was to return this same supervisor again called me. This time the call was to inform me that since my responsibilities had been reassigned there was no need for me to return as it would be confusing for the rest of the staff to transition again.

Here are some pointers that may help you remain gainfully employed: Always consider yourself as dispensable, be wary of training others to perform your responsibilities, be dependable and punctual, be a team player in an office setting especially, refrain from getting pulled into office politics, leave any problem personal or professional at the door, and roll with the punches. Some of the above listed items are rather obvious or commonsense and others don't apply to my personal experience.

In my experience with job loss, I forgot rule number one. I thought that if I was dependable and went out of my way to help out when I could, I was safe. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. While my willingness to give more showed in my annual reviews, it did not win me any good graces at any other time.

I was a team player, willing to help out any of my co-workers. However, sometimes personal or professional problems became an obstacle for me. It was said that I was difficult to read during these situations and my co-workers didn't know how to handle me. My gut instinct told me this was untrue, and others in the office confirmed my suspicions. Regardless, this became an issue in the eyes of my supervisor. Some, like me, have a hard time putting on a fake smile and acting chipper when there is a problem on their mind. To those people my best advice is to practice faking it.

Ability to adapt to change wasn't a big problem in my situation until the very end of my work with the organization. I flowed through numerous changes in co-workers, a supervisor or two with ease. These changes had a relatively minor impact on what I was required of me. At the very end, there were a series of seemingly arbitrary changes made directly to my job requirements. These changes only applied to me and were delivered in such a manner that was at times demeaning and thoughtless. Unfortunately, I felt comfortable enough with my position within the organization to question the necessity of the changes being proposed. Although I did so in a respectful manner I was met with hostility and the changes were carried out. Always show respect when things change but more importantly flow with the change. Maybe after giving the change some time things won't work out the way you anticipated.

Office politics are often a problem in the workplace. I've seen these drive co-workers to look elsewhere for employment and others to out-right quit. When you are in a work setting you will almost always collaborate with others, the problems arise when groups start to form and the workplace becomes an instant flashback to the drama days of high school. The best advice I can give anyone who finds themselves in this position is remember this is where you work not where you go to make friends. This is sometimes hard because if you work full-time (40 hours/week) it's hard not to feel like you're automatic friends with co-workers. Don't confuse co-worker relationship with friendship.
In the long run, your job is where you spend your working time, it shouldn't be torture nor should it be a trip to the candy store, unless that's where you work. Following the tips above you can remain gainfully employed by making yourself a valuable asset and prize for your employer. If one thing can be learned in this time of economic downturn it is that no one is safe in the job market.

1. http://www.bls.gov/cps/ accessed on 8/20/09