Let’s face it; most workers are not always happy with their jobs.  Yet they put up with it because the biggest factor that a company holds over its employees is the risk of being fired.  People who live in fear of being fired take mild to severe berating from their bosses, work in harsh environments, carry out unethical orders, hide their real personalities, feel the need to brown nose, and essentially go along to get along. 

So why are we all afraid of getting fired?
Financial Freedom
Stigma/Shame
Trouble Explaining It
Fear of the Unknown

Eliminate the Fear
For people feeling stuck in a less than satisfying job, it is time to start eliminating the threat, reducing the fear and allowing yourself freedom to be happy. 

Financial Freedom- This is obviously the most difficult restraint to overcome when trying to free oneself from fear. Unfortunately, people have to work in order to fund their wants and needs.  Loss of income and the uncertainty of knowing when a new stream of income will begin are scary.   It takes a lot of hard work to reduce your debt and work on living under ones means, but so worth it to not feel shackled to a job.  In addition to consistently working on reducing financial liabilities, it is a very good idea to continuously monitor the job market.  Having an up-to-date resume and knowing what jobs are available will help decrease the time out of the job market for someone who gets fired or quits. 

Stigma/Shame- There are a lot of reasons why a job does not work out: not everyone fits with every department or organization’s culture; there may be a skill mismatch; could be ousted for standing up for oneself; caught up in a layoff; or fired for doing something against policy or illegal.  Of those reasons, the only one that should bring about shame is the last one.  American culture developed the mindset that getting fired is a terrible thing; that someone who gets fired has something wrong with them.  Unless there was a true offense committed, there is no reason to feel bad about getting fired.  Keep a positive mindset.

Trouble Explaining It- It can get hairy trying to explain being fired even when the explanation includes standing up to an abusive boss, etc. Interviewers are trained to be a little skeptical about the positive spins people put on negative experiences. Every interview is going to be different, so there is no best way to explain getting fired.  The best thing to remember is to be professional when discussing a previous company.  If the interviewer pushes for more information, be honest, tactful and confident.  Body language will say just as much as words.  A slumped frame and avoidance of eye contact may suggest being uncomfortable or ashamed speaking about an incident, and an interviewer will pick up on it.  People play off of other people…do not act like it is a big deal and the interviewer will be less likely to see it as a big deal.

Fear of the Unknown- moving on is always difficult.  There are no guarantees about the next role.  Many people have created bonds with other employees and moving on will mean leaving those bonds behind, but exploring what else is out there is a fundamental part of life.  Instead of focusing on the potential negatives, look at it as an opportunity to meet new people and gain new experiences.  Ultimately, life is what we make of it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 10:01 pm and is filed under Workplace. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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