Preparing for Upcoming Tech Layoffs: Strategies and Tips for Navigating Uncertain Times
After the initial shocking news from big tech about layoffs in 2022, layoffs continue to happen in 2023. Amazon, Meta, Google, Microsoft and many other multi billion dollar companies laid of thousands of employees. While I was fortunate enough to avoid the first round of layoffs, the ongoing cuts in 2023 have left me uncertain about what the future holds. Initially I was really stressed and worried but now it feels like the new normal, even though the consequences can be though to bear. In response, I’ve taken some time to gather my thoughts and compile some tips for managing these uncertain times with greater resilience.
“The uncertainties of life will attempt to throw you off balance. Make peace with it, and the scale will tip back in your favor.” Christine E. Szymanski
The methodology I used to manage this uncertainty is quite simple and has three steps. Let’s dive into each of them one by one:
- Accept the constant change
- Focus on the most important things
- Change your perspective
1. Accept the constant change
Ok this is really going to happen right? There is no way to avoid it. For myself, like most people out there, I am an immigrant and when I received my offer from Meta (aka Facebook back then) I was quite happy that I shouldn’t worry about my visa status for 5 years till I receive my ILR. This was probably one of the biggest reasons that I wanted to work in FAANG or big tech instead of using Turkish Business Person visa or the newly named Global Talent Visa. However, you never know what life will bring, it is unpredictable and even working for these prestigious companies no longer feels like a guaranteed safety net. But think about it, this was always the case right? There were endless possibilities that could happen if you are meant to be loose your at some point.
When the first round of layoff were announced, I talked to one of my closest friends who is also a bit of wise person. I was worried and afraid that I would loose my job and that meant was to leave UK and go back to my home country. He said, “Is there anything you can do to avoid it? What is in your hand, what is in your control right now? Let’s focus on that and I believe if you got laid off, you will find a really good job here in a very short time.” Even-though this felt a bit callous, he had a good point.
Through this experience, I learned to accept that life is inherently unpredictable and beyond our control. Rather than trying to shape my life according to my desires, I now strive to remain flexible and adaptable to the twists and turns that come my way.
2. Focus on the most important things
When I realize that the “Life is constantly changing and it is unpredictable”, my perspective to every moment that I live has completely changed. We live in a constant flow, that we all fleet in it. Eventually things will settle for that particular issue, but new ones will come and this loop never ends. The only thing we can control is the current moment. What we do now, will define our future, step by step, one by one you are shaping your future.
Focus on yourself, always!
Yes unexpected things can happen, this can be either good or bad. We as human beings can’t control anything in this life. The only thing we can do is desire the best and work on it. I believe this mindset is really valuable, but getting there and especially maintaining that perspective is really hard. Because if you don’t want something, you won’t have the motivation to work on it, and if you don’t work on it, you won’t get.
So what are the most important things in our lives, just think for 10 second and make a list. For me they are:
- Health
- Family and friends
- Happiness
- Freedom and peace
- My journey of being a better version of myself
- Having a good job.
Even with a quick 10 seconds of thinking, your job is not in the top 5 of the most important things in this life. The job is just one of the tools that provide the higher priority things.
3. Change your perspective
Yes, the layoffs are really bad. But I believe the biggest events in your life and the ones that change you completely. You should try to look at the situations from a different view. Focus on the things you will learn after this event will also pass, and it will. After few years it will be just a memory for you and another story that you talk to your friends. Use it as an opportunity to grow and also take time to reflect on yourself.
Opportunity to grow
I used to view life as binary, where everything was either true or false, good or bad, 0 or 1. This mindset was instilled in me through the education system, especially if I wasn’t studying social sciences. However, my perspective changed as I began to see and accept the gray areas. I realized that there are countless shades of gray, and infinite numbers between 0 and 1. This realization led me to start seeing every event, especially the seemingly negative ones, as learning opportunities. I also adopted a holistic view of my life, recognizing that every aspect is interconnected. What happens in one area of my life can affect the others, and vice versa.
I’ve come to understand that learning never stops, and our brain is constantly making new neural connections. We can learn to communicate with different types of people, understand new laws and processes, develop empathy, and even change a tire. This perspective has helped me cope with layoffs and other uncertainties in life. I’ve learned that:
- there is no certainty in life,
- it’s important to focus on personal growth,
- show empathy towards others,
- help and support the community, and
- prepare for the unexpected.
Dive deeper and reflect
We all live in a fiction that is built for us. It is all under control. You have a great job, you have a great life, you are successful, you got good performance ratings, you have money etc etc. However, when everything is so good, and when we are so busy with never ending expectations from work and life, no one spare some time for themselves to have a silent room and just think. Reflect what is going on, reflect what are you doing? After you start doing this, you will realize that you are actually not living your life. You are in a fiction written for you. Money is a fiction, our jobs are fiction, the governments and politics are fiction. There are many things in life that are just fictions and we were forced to believe in them. Use these uncertain times to reflect and dive deeper on your inner soul. Ask yourself what am I doing, what I want to do? What can happen? Is it the end of the world?
Believe me, reflecting on yourself is hard, very hard and you don’t want to do it. Most of the time you will do things to avoid having a quite time with yourself, e.g. open an app (ig, tiktok) on your phone or press the nexflix button on your remote control, or go to the trends in youtube.
Bonus: Four Tools for Coping With Uncertainty!
I recently came across a fantastic post that shares four tools to help individuals cope with uncertainty, as suggested by the authors of “The Upside of Uncertainty”. These tools include reframing, priming, doing, and sustaining.
- The first tool, reframing, encourages us to change our perspective on challenging situations. By viewing them from a different angle, we can gain new insights and find a positive way forward.
- The second tool is priming, which involves establishing routines to help us deal with the unknown more effectively. For example, surrounding ourselves with people who can act as a grounding force can help us stay balanced and focused.
- The third tool, doing, recommends taking a values-based approach to our actions. By aligning our behavior with our values, we can remain steadfast and resilient even in uncertain times.
- Finally, sustaining involves being mindful of our own well-being and that of our colleagues. We should make space for moments of serendipity and flashes of insight that can arise from uncertainty, while also caring for ourselves and others along the way.
I hope you enjoyed the reading, let me know what you think from the comments!
