Dismissal is a difficult situation that can make us feel lost. Nonetheless, it can turn into an opportunity to reinvent yourself and enact change.
Last update: June 30, 2020
Imagine this situation: You arrive at work and your boss tells you he wants to talk to you on your own. You see him a little uncomfortable and understand what is happening. He makes you sign the firing papers and you go home. You just lost your job, you are still in shock. What are you doing now?
Dismissal is very often an unpleasant and difficult situation. It may be that the company had to reduce staff, that your performance was not entirely sufficient or that some problem, such as a conflict between colleagues or disagreements with the boss, led to this unfortunate ending.
Faced with such a situation, it is normal to feel sadness, malaise and a feeling of loss. So let's look at some guidelines that can be of great help in these situations.
Overcoming the pain of dismissal
It is the most important phase, which we need to focus on when we lose our job. In the face of any loss, be it in the family or in the sentimental sphere, we have to face a pain. In the professional sphere the same thing happens.
We got used to that job, we had a routine and, suddenly, everything disappears from our life: it is as if the world falls on us, as if we could no longer find a way out. We often think that we will never find another job or that we are good for nothing. The problem is that these thoughts only fuel our worry and can even plunge us into anguish.
Conversely, we have to deal with denial, anger, guilt and sadness, e we must be able to overcome all the stages of pain until we reach acceptance. Only in this way will we be able to start a new phase of our professional life, finding another job (the same or different) or setting up our own business.
Make decisions
Once you learn that you have been fired, it is important to make some decisions. Below, we will list the ones that we consider most important and that will also help us to process the pain:
- Make use of your rights: if the dismissal is unlawful, we must report. If we are entitled to unemployment benefit, let's ask for it. If compensation is due, let's make sure we get it. It is important to resolve legal issues as soon as possible so that they can be filed.
- Decide on the present: it's time to make a decision about the present. For example, starting looking for another job, taking training, using unemployment or compensation money to travel. Whatever it is, we need to make a proactive decision that helps us feel better.
"Nothing happens until something moves."
-Albert Einstein-
Take advantage of the change
Beyond all the sadness we can feel about being fired, if we think about it, it can be a great opportunity to change, reinvent and grow. Maybe the work we did was too boring for us. Now we have the opportunity to look for another one that motivates us.
On the other hand, firing can be a fantastic opportunity to start your own business, open a business or work from home. Currently, in Spain there are tax breaks for those who decide to set up on their own after a period as an employee. So, if we have an idea and it's achievable, getting fired can even be a good thing.
Dismissal can also offer us the opportunity to invest in our training to opt for a different job or to set up on our own, feeling safer of what we are doing. Of course, we must have the necessary means and not make decisions too lightly.
Even if it is normal to feel disoriented, we can take a couple of days to let off steam and let our feelings out. Then, however, after this rest period we must act, because, even if we see no way out, in reality we have a lot of opportunities at our disposal.
The pain of dismissal will allow us to pass from this state in which an irrational thought prevails linked to the fear of not finding work to another in which we take the reins and take action. The important thing is not to get stuck in despair, take advantage of all the opportunities that arise and create the ones we so desire.
