A few months ago, I wrote about how companies in decline have an opportunity to save their good name as they watch their fortunes and business assets rapidly decline. While we all sit and wonder when things will start to look more like they once did, I am glad to highlight that some businesses have decided to do more than just sit, wait, and wonder.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association lead the way by creating a cooperative program involving multiple hotel brands across the country towards the goal of aiding healthcare workers being hit hardest by the surge in COVID-19 cases.

You can read about this here:

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-four-seasons-offers-free-lodging-to-medical-workers-in-new-york-city

This is a good example of doing good in a time of crisis. Some first impressions:

• This seems like a good gesture by these companies and may help thousands of workers in need of places to stay.
• There is an obvious benefit to these companies as they get a spotlight of their brand and a feel-good story
• While these brands are getting the spotlight for their good deeds, there is still a massive number of unemployed individuals who were employees of these companies only a few months ago.

While I am impressed with the actions highlighted in the above article, I still feel for those who have found themselves out of work. Especially those who do not happen to reside in the most populous cities in America.

In my previous post, I stated that companies can lean in to serving people. And I am happy to see this happening. Humbly, I must now turn to those among us who are out of work and ask of them the same. If you are jobless right now, hoping for things to go back to the way they were is not very proactive. It is not serving you and it will not bring about fruitful change any sooner than doing nothing at all.

Do I think the companies that once employed you are doing enough? No, I do not. These entities are self-serving and I am neither surprised, nor upset, to see how they treat the very individuals they used to claim as “family” (some of them….other companies never tried so hard to pretend that they cared about their employees).

I will clearly state that I think many companies could do much more for their former employees who are out of work.

But this writing is not about them. It is about you: the unemployed individual that is sitting at home right now. Most people fit into one of two or three categories:

• Tired and using this time off as a (possibly well-deserved) break
• Struggling to make ends meet and terrified as things do not seem to be getting better
• Somewhere in between the 1 and 2

The 2008 recession led to a time of hustle. People were told to “get comfortable with the discomfort”. These words may be helpful nowadays. But they are not enough.

By the time this is all over, “You” may not be enough. If I were your future employer, I would be expecting, at minimum, “You+”. Ideally, I would want to see “You 2.0”.

Not at first. At first, everything will seem ok. Everyone will be celebrating the return of “life as usual” (this is just beginning to happen as of this writing). Then things will start to change around you. Slowly at first and then quickly. New hires and new technologies will be rolled out.

If management was not all that impressed with some plans beforehand, those same plans will take a back seat when you get back to the office. How about those offices that you were hoping to see opened in a new region? Do not hold your breath. It is not to say that companies do not want to grow. But if you have just been through a drought, you are going to water your cash crops…not the flowers in your kitchen.

Likewise, whether anyone admits it or not, managers develop resentment. The fighter who has been through the battle of a decade will not see eye-to-eye with those who have spent that time on the sideline. Even if the sidelining was not by choice. There will a reckoning where employees will need to prove themselves, more-so than before.

This will not happen everywhere. Not every company will operate this way. And again, it will not be immediate. But there are already clear signs of a strong managerial distaste for workers who do not see why they should put in more effort while having the privilege of working-from-home.

So, what should you do? Well, depends on which category you are in:

Tired and using these weeks off as a (possibly well-deserved) break

Lean into your recharge. You are going to need a fully charged battery to get through this period of uncertainty. The next one to three years will be exciting, new, and exhausting. When things start to get moving again you will be expected to perform as if nothing ever happened AND as if things were only getting faster while you were gone. You will need energy, patience, and ambition that you have not experienced since you were in your 20s. And if you are in your 20s, relax, catch-up, keep-up, and get ahead – in that order.

For however much time you were going to take off and do nothing…shorten it by 1/3 or 1/4. There is nothing wrong with taking a break. It is popular to be bored in the house, bored in the house, bored. But be aware, there are hungry eyes beneath and above you. There are folks who want to get ahead of you and they have not been bored or taking time off. While you have been napping, they have been hustling.

So, take your break. You can even ease into your ramp-up. But schedule that ramp-up on the calendar now. And stick to that date.

Struggling to make ends meet and terrified as things get worse by the week

You will have to continue to live lean. If things are not essential, get rid of them. Sell what you can. Ask friends and family for help. Do not expect much from government assistance. Pretend it will never arrive. Any time spent thinking about assistance is time you are not working to fix your situation.

While you are working to get above water, you should begin to think about how you will get back on dry land. Do not get distracted. Stay focused and keep your ear to the ground. These are wild and scary times. But know that even as things are getting worse, you can be getting better. Fighting is how you get better at fighting.

Take time to find out what social programs are available. You would be amazed at what money may be available through your state for retraining and what aid (social if not financial) may be right at your fingertips for finding work. Call local employment commissions (or email them). Talk to others who have used these programs before. There are men and women whose entire job is to help folks like you to find sustainable employment.

Also, as strange as it may seem, use social media to find and follow such folks. I have seen a few professionals on social media who provide hours and hours of job finding tips. Some of them provide one-on-one help, often for free.

Somewhere in between the 1 and 2

Depending on your current situation you will need to figure out your first and next steps. First, read the two sections above if you have not yet done so. Next, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• As stated above, however much time you think you can take off and chill, shorten it by 1/3.
• You are lucky to have a situation that is not dire. Now take advantage of this lucky situation and get yourself from “not bad” to “good” and from “good” to “great”.
• Think of this as a “few years” plan as opposed to a “few months” plan. Again, when things start to get moving the expectations others have of you will be higher than what you have placed on yourself. Almost certainly much higher.

Yes, you have been benched or possibly cut from the team. The good thing for you is that you can get a starting role again. It just may not be the same position. Or even the same sport. The desire last year was to hire someone who was smarter, faster, and cheaper than you. That has not changed. Replace “I thought my job was secure” with “I know that only I can secure my future”.

This really is an amazing time we are going through. And while the news is tough and unrelenting, I hope that you do not get distracted. As Incubus said, “make yourself”. Do not give yourself the chance to say “I should have…”

These are rough waters we find ourselves in. As such, I will share an F.D.R. quote I look at every day:

“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”

Be well and sail on.