Life after retrenchment: Surviving the notice period

I wish I could tell you that the journey was easy.

That I had some magic wand.

But I’d be lying to you and to myself.

I didn’t know what to do or where to start.

What made it bearable was partly the dignity with which my employer handled that process as well as my earlier decision to embrace this change with positivism – however painful.

There obviously are some issues beyond the scope of this article that I wish would have been handled differently but overall, everything was handled efficiently.

A few days after the official retrenchment confirmation, my manager had a one-on-one talk with me to explain the decision.

I was speechless.

She tried to fill the silence but didn’t  say much either. 

I sat in astonishment for an eternity that couldn’t have been more than a couple seconds. When I finally worked up the courage to mutter a few words, they were a complete lie. 

It was all to just get through this horrid moment so I could go figure how I’d move on with the rest of my life.

“If it wasn’t me that left, it’d have been someone else. I’m fine. Really,” I responded with a half hearted smile. 

I wasn’t.

Even I, couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of my lips.

It was all a ploy to look like I was “keeping it together” when in reality everything was falling apart. I didn’t want to expose my heartache.

With a gentle sadness in her voice, she wished me luck and said goodbye. “I’m here to help in every way I can,” she concluded. 

As I watched the door of Elgon meeting room shut behind her, I started weeping uncontrollably. 

Still processing the shock of our interaction, I left the office and took the longest 5 minute walk home. 

But I was back the next day, and the next 29 days thereafter.

How do you manage the notice period?

Acknowledge that you’re still an employee and there’s work to be done

Although my days were now numbered, I was still staff and staff are hired to deliver. And deliver I did.  As my job involved dealing with several partners, I also took the time to personally inform them of the latest developments and to hand over ensuring they’d be continuity even after my departure.

For me my number one priority during the notice period was to make sure that when it was time to go, I left on a positive note with my dignity intact.

I know It’s tempting to just drop everything because your motivation levels are at rock bottom you’ll be living anyway. But remember that this is not the time to burn bridges. It could cost you your career. Besides, should you choose to go back into employment, these people may be the same ones you mad need for future work recommendations, introductions or as referrers, so how you carry yourself during your exit is important. And who knows, you may need to come back. More on that later.

Make your final power trip

Another key aspect of managing your exit period is around creating visibility for yourself.

Remember you’re soon going to be ‘out in the cold’ so to create visibility for yourself this is the time to take advantage of any opportunities that come your way by virtue of working for that organization.

Is your team having a hard time writing reports? 

Beg for the chance to write the next quarter’s management report— remember that famous saying – the hand that taps the keyboard gets to shape the organization’s narrative! 

Has Safaricom just announced that M-PESA API is now public  and everyone on your team has headed for the door when the boss wants someone to write a blog post about it? Volunteer to write it. 

It’s your final chance to be featured on the organization’s website without trying too hard. 

Invest in yourself

As much as this may sound selfish, if you’ve been keeping ‘you’ in the back banner, it’s time to change tactic. 

In the quest to deliver great results for your employer, you probably forgot about yourself. 

Strive to be an exceptional expert at one or two things that have real value. A win-win for both you and the employer. It’s the only way to guarantee a soft landing and with decent bargaining power, WHEN your employer EVENTUALLY liberates you.

Ask for honest, helpful feedback about you. What I call quality assurance testing of the brand ‘you’. It’s the only way to know for sure, whether you even hold real value in the open market where you’re headed. 

Grow. Develop and nurture your networks. 

Learn as much as you can about your current employer

Familiarize yourself with all the outputs of your current employer and how they deliver them. It is only by learning and understanding every nitty gritty that you can be in a position to identify existing gaps. And being the expert you are, know how to fill them. 

This applies whether after your termination you choose the entrepreneurship route, or the re-employment route as it gives you concrete material to work with or on.

Know your industry, in and out, top and bottom

It doesn’t matter what industry you get your bread and butter from. Read every book and content, listen to every audio, and watch every video you can find about the history of that industry. 

Identify experts in the industry and read everything they have written about the industry. Learn of all the industry nuances and dealings.  If for example you’re in financial inclusion, read the writings of thought leaders like Ignacio Mas, subscribe to newsletters from websites such as CGAP, Gates Foundation, IFC, etc.  

Learn of every individual and organization playing an active role in the space. Subscribe to blogs. Get on newsletter e-mail lists. Try your hand on webinars. 

Utilize your employment benefits

You should also take time to look at what benefits are available to you by virtue of being an employee of your organization. If you’re fortunate that your employment benefits come with medical cover for instance, this is the time to go for that dental appointment or gyna’s appointment or optician’s appointment you’ve been postponing. Mark you in about a month’s time these privileges are getting withdrawn so better safe than sorry.

Also remember to get any employment reference letters which will soon come handy.

Plan your future post-retrenchment

Last but not least, take some time out to plan your future post – redundancy.

In the same way I had a road-map for my last 30 days with my employer, I prepared one for me, right from the first Monday after my retrenchment notice ended, to about 12 months in. I had decided to take out a one year sabbatical before returning to employed work.

This was quite helpful in the transition process and just putting things into perspective.

Next post — last day of work

Cheers,

EvaMtalii