Honesty can lose you your job – we still have much to do!

January 18, 2012

In today’s Telegraph , there was a worrying story about an employee who had allegedly been made redundant for disclosing to his employer that he was experiencing feelings of depression.  In a world where technology and social media is the norm, it’s hardly surprising that the employee took to twitter to share his experience, along with his dismissal letter!  Within hours he had received thousands of tweets supporting him and offering advice.  This is obviously an unacceptable way to treat someone suffering from depression, but I’m not at all surprised that this scenario has come to light and the power of social media may very well surface similar stories in the coming weeks and months.

Given that around 1 in 6 people now suffer, or will in the future suffer, from a common mental illness (e.g. depression, anxiety and stress) it is astonishing that the stigma of mental ill health is still with us.  As well as all the high profile cases we hear about, there are so many TV programmes, films and other media highlighting the problem and, indeed, its treatment, that it’s hard to imagine this episode could have occurred in our times.  But unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident.  Even though many more people experience mental health issues and access to support is much better than it was a decade ago, there is still a concern about taking people on who have had mental health problems – or dealing with them appropriately if they are already in employment. Sure, we still need more support for people with mental health conditions, but it is out there and there’s no excuse for this particular employer’s response.

And yet when it comes to physical health issues there seems to be much more sympathy.  As Henry David Thoreau wrote in 1853: “how prompt we are to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our bodies; how slow to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our souls!”  Given the troubled times we are all going through in this severe and long lasting economic crisis, we are going to see more people who are unable to cope and who succumb to mental health problems, albeit treatable conditions.  It would be unacceptable, and unsustainable, to dismiss everyone who said they had a mental health issue – for example, what would have happened if the Lloyds Chief Executive had been treated this way when he admitted struggling with similar issues?!  In order to reduce the stigma of mental health issues, employers need to be made aware of the help available to employees who may be suffering this way, as well as the importance of supporting their psychological well-being as part of the way they do business.

We need to invest more in this growing societal issue, in terms of identifying and treating it, or better still working to prevent it in the first place.  Otherwise, as Mark Twain put it, “if you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got”.  That is not good enough for the many thousands who are suffering or the society in which we all live.

1 Comment | health, Mental health, Redundancy | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper

I’ve been made redundant, what now?

March 25, 2009

Last week we passed the two million unemployed mark in the UK – something we haven’t seen for nearly two decades.  The recession is setting in, but it will come to an end; hopefully by the end of this year if we are positive and resilient enough as a society.  In the meantime, what should people do if they have lost their job? The most important thing to do is to stay positive and be active.  Losing one’s job is similar to the grieving process; shock, anger and despair are all common.  And the term ‘redundancy’ says it all; because those affected often feel like they are literally of no use, not needed as a result of what’s happened to them. (In fact, it may be time for a new phrase to describe the process that is more helpful and constructive for people who find themselves in this situation). However, those affected must tell themselves over and over again, ‘it was my job that was made redundant, not me as a person!’  With so many people losing their jobs, it is important for people to stay as purposeful and positive as they can, even though it may seem easier to see what has happened as rejection. ‘Purpose’ is a key word here – because a job can give us all a strong sense of purpose and having it taken away can be very demoralising. 

There are a variety of ways of staying positive though… and they are all about being active.  This does not only mean active job seeking behaviour, which is of course vital, but also engaging with opportunities for gaining additional skills through one of the government’s training or retraining schemes; or going to night school to learn something useful (e.g. a language); or doing voluntary work in schools, hospitals, hospices or in some local community project. The more people do during their job hunting the more their self-confidence will grow and the better they will start to feel about themselves.  And by helping others (e.g. when volunteering) the unemployed can start to contextualize their own problems leading to more positive and optimistic feelings and emotions.  The government provide fantastic resources for the unemployed on the www.direct.gov.uk website – including information about volunteering, job opportunities, benefits, training and more.

If people still find it difficult to get a job after a long period of job hunting, it may be time to consider retraining, starting a new business or about taking their skills to a new sector.  Losing a job can sometimes be the turning point in terms of actually doing something new that one may have been thinking about for a long time.  If this is the case, it’s important for people to think carefully about what they would like to do next, what skills and competences they have and what new skills they need – then it’s time to do something about it! Success here is all about taking control and being active – this approach will pay personal dividends in terms of your job search and any new venture you decide to pursue.

1 Comment | Motivation, Productivity, Public Sector, Uncategorized, Well-being | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper

Four day week or redundancy – you choose!

January 23, 2009

This week The Times reported that KPMG is asking its 11,000 British staff to take unpaid leave or face an extensive redundancy programme. The global accountancy firm wrote to all of its employees asking them to volunteer for sabbaticals of between four and twelve weeks on 30 per cent pay or move to a four-day week. The rationale for the proposal, which it referred to as a contingency plan, was designed to help KPMG avoid a company-wide redundancy programme in the future.

The assumption in the article is that most people would respond negatively to this offer, but how would you respond? I asked a male employee in his thirties in my own University spin-off company and he said he would definitely take up KPMG’s offer – he told me that 30% pay would cover his mortgage payments and he would then be able to go travelling for three months using savings from better financial times. He explained that he has been waiting for years to take a break of this sort from work– but could never find a way to do it that left both his job and house secure. Unfortunately, for him (but fortunately for the company) we won’t be offering this option in the foreseeable future!
However, this kind of reaction reinforces the view that the financial crisis presents opportunities as well as challenges to the UK’s working population. Ok, if you’re mortgaged up to the hilt and have a family to support the proposal would be less than attractive, but not everyone is in that situation.

Clearly, KPMG’s offer is borne out of financial necessity, but you could also argue that it shows humanity and forward thinking on their part. They are giving their staff choices before it’s too late – contrast this with the fate of Woolworths’ and Lehman Bothers’ employees for whom there was no choice at all. I dare say a KPMG-like offer would have been accepted by many of them if it was put forward six months before it all went wrong for those businesses!  From a strategic perspective this may also prove to be a smart move: I’m not claiming that the ‘green shoots of recovery’ are yet visible, but KPMG are thinking beyond the recession here. By making several large scale redundancies now, companies are building in sizeable recruitment, induction and training costs that will impede recovery the future.

Finally, at the foot of the article in the online edition where I read this news I noticed a comment by ‘Farrukh of Woking’ a Times reader. He said:

“We should have four day weeks anyway, and subsidised sporting facilities for all. Let us make our nation healthy and happy!”

The first part of his statement, a four-day week, is radical. There will be those who say that the shorter week hasn’t worked in France, and in an economic sense this may be true, but now is a good time to examine and revisit radical ideas of this sort. I’m not necessarily suggesting that the UK should adopt Farrukh’s suggestion, but as the second part of his comment indicates, ideas like this reflect the need for a paradigm shift in terms how we see the relationship between work, wealth and quality of life.  I’ll finish with a challenge – visualise a situation where you learn to manage financially with one less day’s pay a week in return for one more day to do with as you please. Your life could be very different – but would it be better or worse overall – and in what respects? Answers on a postcard!

4 Comments | Uncategorized, Well-being | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper

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