How to Support Someone Who Lost Their Job
As a virus too small to see becomes too vast to deny, nowadays, almost everyone knows someone who is unemployed or underemployed. The current health crisis is resulting in sudden and head-spinning changes to daily life.
Regardless of your own employment status, which of course I hope is stable, the odds are that you’re bound to know someone who recently lost her job, and if you don’t now, you might soon, as a direct result of the pandemic’s economic impact.
Scholars, drawing on research from economic downturns like the Great Depression, have found that employment has important functions beyond income: in addition to being the basis of our social status and identity, it provides a way to structure our time, provides a sense of purpose, and broadens our social contacts. From this perspective, unemployment not only takes away income, but damages a key organizing element of our lives.
Supporting someone who is worried about their finances and finding a new job, all while simultaneously coping with their loss of daily routine and sense of security is really tricky. What words can you offer to help them through this difficult, sensitive time? What can you actually do for them?
Based on my experience of watching dear people go through unemployment, here are a few suggestions on how to support a loved one who is searching for a job:
Listen and Ask How to Help
If your friend or loved one does talk with you on the phone, the best thing you can do is to provide a listening ear. Acknowledge how challenging the situation is. Be supportive and positive, but don’t rush to give advice at this stage.
Also, ask what you can do to help, but also consider offering to do specific tasks or to drop off specific items.
Drop Off Meals & Groceries
You could consider preparing a few healthy freezer meals or doing a drop-off of a bag of fresh groceries. Healthy foods like whole grains, vegetables, and fruits along with pantry staples with a long shelf-life are the smartest choices. Other items that you could include might be laundry detergent, soap, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper.
Ask About Finances
While it may feel uncomfortable asking about money, if you know your friend or loved one might be facing financial pressures or living paycheck to paycheck without an emergency fund, it may be wise to check up on their financial health. If you are in a position to help financially, that could be an option to temporarily ease their burden. Remember, some people are embarrassed by financial woes. You can buy them a supermarket gift card or transfer money via Shoprite anonymously.
Family members and money aren't always a good mix. But, in tough economic times or when faced with unexpected emergencies, your loved ones may truly need your financial assistance. Before you commit to helping, be sure to think through what you can and can't afford to do.
Remind Them of their Strengths
When a person has lost their jobs, their self-esteem can take a huge blow. For the first day or two after the news, they will likely be in a whirlwind of stress and uncertainty. During this time, they may need to be uplifted. Little reminders of their accomplishments can be useful in helping them recognise that they were an asset to the company and they will be an asset again.
Help Them Find Work
Keep your eyes open for short-term work for unemployed friends or relatives. Projects in their field would be ideal, of course. If you’re not sure what kind of work someone is willing to do, ask questions very delicately, because the line between helping and offending can be fine. One person may be delighted to earn a little extra money by shoveling your driveway, whereas someone else may be insulted.
Finally, if you are a colleague as well as a friend of the person who lost their job, be sensitive to their hurt but do not avoid them. Reassure them that your friendship will continue outside the workplace, then take steps to make sure that happens.
Can you think of other suggestions and ways you can be helpful to the unemployed in our community over this period?
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