The current economic uncertainty that the UK, and other countries across the world, are facing will undoubtedly make many feel unsettled about their job security and redundancy.
That dreaded ‘R’ word can throw up a lot of valid emotions including stress, anxiety and feeling expendable. However, when paired with the right mentality and open mindedness, it can also present new and exciting opportunities. Moreover, it can provide you with a chance to evaluate your values and career direction.
This blog will examine a few areas in work that can bring added richness into your careers and consequently your lives, and hopefully provide useful food for thought if you ever find yourself at a career-crossroads, redundancy or another type.
Flexible Working
Since the pandemic, many employees and employers have reaped the benefits of flexible or remote working. And, even with the return to a relatively normal, pre-pandemic era, it appears that flexible working is here to stay.
A study from LiveCareer found that all generations wanted flexibility with their working options and 9 in 10 respondents declared that a work-life balance was important to them. Working remotely, or on a hybrid basis, allows workers to fit their work around their lives rather than their life around their work.
This greater flexibility has given both employers and employees alike improved job satisfaction, engagement and loyalty. Reduced absenteeism and burnout from stress are other benefits.
The trend of flexible working only seems to be gathering more momentum too, with a 4 day work week becoming permanent in some companies as the result of a trial that saw far greater employee productivity on 80% of their hours.
Granted, not all work can be done remotely, but, when evaluating your next career steps, you may decide it is equally important to you to be given greater control over how, when and where you get to work.
Entrepreneurship
Alternatively, you could decide to throw both caution and conventional office hours to the wind and invest your redundancy lump sum into a small business. As seen during the pandemic, Covid prompted a growth in creativity and people turning their hobbies into a business. So if being creative is something you value, then this could be an excellent opportunity to steer your career into a new direction.
Whilst this seems like an incredibly daunting experience, there are many courses out there that can teach you the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, including creating a business plan, funding a startup and marketing your business successfully. Franchising could also be another option for you to explore.
A previous Energise client, Martin, found both delight and success when he turned his passion for photography into a business after being made redundant. His new career could fit around his young children and he enjoyed the freedom of becoming his own boss – something that might not have happened if was not made redundant!
Meaningful Work
Ensuring that careers have meaning has become increasingly important for many workers and reflects a societal change in the perception of work as living standards improve.
Whereas an occupation used to be a transactional process for a paycheck, now ‘meaningful work’ is something that is not just reserved for the human-rights lawyers and rocket scientists of the world. This is elucidated in a 2020 study from McKinsey & Company that found 82% of employees believed it was important for their company to have a purpose.
Meaningful work, however, can be derived from many different areas depending on your values. For example, a job can satisfy a creative need or it could be used to further your skills or experience. Conversely, it may be important to you that your voice is heard within your company or that they have a positive societal or environmental impact.
Any and more of these factors could be what contributes to your sense of meaningful work, but, whatever it is that can help drive your sense of purpose, it is clear that more and more workers are searching for meaning in their careers. And logically, it makes sense, people spend most of their time at work, it is what takes up most of our waking hours and even when we are not actively working, it can be challenging to disengage.
Therefore, if you find yourself facing redundancy, seeking a new career that has a sense of purpose can leave you feeling more fulfilled in life as a whole.
Get in touch today!
Whatever it is that you are looking for in your new career, a career coach can be an invaluable way to help you tap into your true values, career goals and what motivates you in the workplace.
Whether it be a complete change, a new business venture or a twist on your old job, get in touch with us today for advice on life after redundancy.
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Ellie Khanna
Energise Digital Marketing Intern