A little over five years ago, on the Tuesday after my beloved Seattle Seahawks won the Superbowl, I was laid off. Along with my excellent colleagues Rhonda, Andrea, Tobi, and Mike, I was led into a meeting room and given the unsurprising news by our then boss and the HR woman who flew in from head office that morning. When she showed up, I even joked “is it my turn yet?” Turns out, yes, it was.
I worked in the news business, an industry that was – sadly still is – in crisis. Layoffs have decimated newsrooms, especially newspapers where I worked. Advertising money has vanished. Readers love news but won’t pay for it, and no one in the industry can figure out how to make a profit.
Originally I was going to frame this fifth anniversary post in terms of “Look at me. See how I pivoted from sadness to joy by going into business for myself,” but that’s too simplistic. I do enjoy working for myself but it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. I checked my Facebook ‘Memories’ for that day five years ago. The post thanked friends for their support and suggested I was going to focus on wine and list making. It’s early morning as of this writing so it’s too early for wine, but here’s a list.
Pros
- After 11 years of a two-hour round-trip drive to the office, most days the walk from the kitchen to my desk is about two minutes.
- My clients are the best, especially those who said “I will hire you” within days/weeks of losing my job.
- Set my own hours. This sounds small but it really is so, so big.
- Freshbooks for taking so much pain out of tracking time, expenses and invoicing.
- Facing your fears. You just have to, whether it’s public speaking, networking, or learning a new skill. There is no option.
Cons
- I lost my office wife. Miss you, Rhonda.
- Felt betrayed by my employer. If you think decades of service to the company will make a difference in how they treat you when the end comes – it won’t. (Unless you’re in the C-suite perhaps)
- It can be isolating, both professionally and socially.
- I applied at Costco the week after my layoff and didn’t even get an interview. I’m still bitter about that.
- Looming deadlines that mean working nights and weekends.
- A drug plan or medical benefits of any kind. (Bring on that universal drug coverage!)
- Your spouse gets laid off a few years later.
- Financial insecurity. (see spouse gets laid off)
So, what wisdom can I impart after five years?
If you get laid off and you can afford to – take a month off. One of the comments to that wine and list Facebook post was a note to go on vacation. I didn’t do that so I didn’t give myself the time and space to grieve and heal. Big mistake.
Be prepared to have feelings when your friends start to retire (at least I have the pension from my former job tucked away); or do things that you can no longer afford to do (winter getaway). It’s okay to have the feels about this. Just remind yourself about the stuff in your Pros list.
I realize the Cons list is longer than the Pros list but it’s deceptive. Setting your own hours and working how and when you want is complex and multi-faceted. How you view this determines your frame of mind and the level of joy or agony in your day. I’m not making as much as I used to, lost my medical benefits and can’t afford regular vacations (see spouse gets laid off too) but that’s okay. I’m doing work I love; the bills get paid, and, if we plan right – vacation.
And my former colleagues – they’re good. Tobi’s with the federal government, Rhonda’s in broadcasting, while Mike and Andrea continue to thrive in the news business.
And now, it’s time for layoffiversary cake!
