I Got Fired From Work, Now What?

Imagine this situation. You arrive at work and your boss says he wants to talk to you alone. You notice something uncomfortable and come to understand what happens. He gives you a paper to sign your resignation and you go home. You got fired from work, you’re still in shock. What are you going to do now?

Getting fired from work is often an unpleasant and difficult situation. Perhaps the company had the need to reduce staff, perhaps their performance was not the most adequate, or because of some problem, such as a conflict between colleagues or differences with the boss, this unfortunate result occurred.

In this situation, it is natural to feel sadness, discomfort and even a feeling of being lost. For this reason, below we will delve into some guidelines that can be of great help in this type of situation.

Overcome professional grief

This is the most important phase we should focus on after a layoff. In the face of any loss, whether in a family or relationship context, we must go through grief. In the field of work it is no different.

We got used to being in this job, we had a routine, and seeing how everything suddenly disappears from our lives is like the world is falling apart, like we can’t find a way out. In fact, we may believe that we won’t find another job or that we’re useless, but the problem is that these kinds of thoughts only fuel our worries and generate anxiety.

Therefore, we will have to deal with denial, anger, guilt, sadness, and successfully overcome each stage of grief until we reach acceptance. Only then will we be able to start a new stage of work, whether looking for another job (the same or different) or taking on a business.

Make decisions

When we find out that we’ve been fired from work, it’s important to make certain decisions. Below, we’ll expose some of the ones we consider most important, which will also help us through the grieving process:

• Make use of our rights : if the dismissal is unfounded, we must denounce; if we are entitled to unemployment, we must collect it; if they’re going to indemnify us, we must make sure we get the money. The important thing is that legal issues are resolved as quickly as possible so that we can forget about them.
• Deciding on the gift : it’s time to make a decision about the gift, for example, start looking for another job, take a course, take advantage of unemployment insurance or compensation money for a trip. No matter what it is, we must make a proactive decision that helps us feel better.

seize the change

Despite all the sadness we may feel about being fired from work, this can be a great opportunity to change, reinvent and keep growing. Maybe the work we were doing was too boring and now we have a chance to find another one that motivates us.

On the other hand, dismissal can be an excellent opportunity to become an entrepreneur, open our own store or work from home, for example. So, if we have an idea and it’s feasible to carry it out, getting fired from the job can be very favorable.

In addition, the layoff can offer us the opportunity to invest in our training to choose a different job or begin to feel more confident about what we are doing. It is clear that, in order to follow this path, we must have the necessary means and not make rash decisions.

While it’s natural for us to feel disoriented, we can take two days to let off steam and express how we feel. However, after this period of rest, we must act, because although we don’t see any way out, in reality there are several options around us.

Professional grief will allow us to move from the state in which irrational thinking prevails for not finding a job to another from which to take the reins and take action. The important thing is not to get stuck in discouragement, take advantage of all the opportunities that arise and create the others that we so much desire.