As we all know, times are tough so chances are you have a friend or two that's been laid off. If you're in the same boat, you probably know what helps and what hurts when talking about it, but if you have yet to be affected by job loss, I have a few tips you might want to keep in mind if you have to support a loved one who is newly unemployed. Check them out below and if you have any suggestions you'd like to add, please do so in the comments below — we could all use as much advice on this subject as possible!
- First things first: If your friend is in a panic after getting her pink slip, remind her of the five things she needs to take with her from work.
- The most important thing to do when supporting someone is to listen. Typically people like to vent their frustration so let her get whatever she needs to off her chest and simply listen.
- While it's easy to say things like you understand, unless you're wearing her shoes you probably don't, so try not to rain on her parade and compare your sister's friend's job loss to hers — it's different.
Want to see two more tips? Just read more.
- Even if you're not in a position to do much to help, ask her what you can do anyway. She might appreciate simple things like you offering to babysit a few hours a week so she can interview, or inviting her over for dinner or a girls night in. Being around friends and family is crucial when you're feeling low.
- If you have contacts that could benefit your friend, offer to point her in their direction or pass along her resume yourself. Though it's tough to get a job in most industries right now, it always helps if you know someone.
Missoni
These are helpful tips, but does anyone have any additional suggestions on what to do for a significant other that has been laid off? My boyfriend lost his job a couple of weeks ago and I want to be as supportive as possible.
1Been here...not easy.
2It's obviously not for everyone, but we threw my flatmate a redundancy party. We were a bit worried of how it'd turn out, but it was a great idea in the end. In a weird way it showed that we wanted to be here for her (it wasn't a huge party, just the whole flat and partners) - we baked, drank and sang "happy redundancy to you".
3It obviously didn't change the fact the situation just SUCKS, but it sort of broke the ice and showed we didn't want to avoid talking about it. After that it was much easier to discuss it with her and plainly ask "how are you feeling about it? what are your plans? can we help?"
I work for a major phone company and we are getting ready to make some major cuts in the next month or so....Im terrified. Hopefully none of my friends need to use these tips on me though.
Loveritz, my boyfriend lost his job a few months ago. I think the best thing you can do is not nag him about getting another job. I make pretty decent money, so I offered to pay whenever I could. But most men, feel less manly when they loose a job, so the best thing is just not make it an issue at all....unless of course it becomes an issue of him mooching off you.
4Man, I lost my job over the holidays nearly exactly one year ago....awful.
5i just lost my job today
6i am still in utter shock over the whole situation. but just seeing this post on here makes me feel better because it puts things into perspective that i'm certainly not alone.
thankfully, i have great people in my life who really were there for me today to lift my spirits. my friends insisted on taking me out for lunch and drinks, and we toasted to "new beginnings, and new possibilities". just knowing that i have a great support system is making this a whole lot easier to swallow. i
Offering to babysit is a very good idea.
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