For 20 years, 56-year-old Arulnathan John was a writer with Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). Late last year, he left the company. The dreaded \u2018R\u2019 word for many professionals and mature workers – Retrenchment. The news did not come as a huge surprise to Arul. After all, Arul shared that layoffs had been happening every year at SPH since the early 2000s.<\/p>\n
Every time there was a layoff, he would be praying hard that it wouldn\u2019t happen to him. This emotional rollercoaster ride happened \u201ceight to nine times\u201d during the course of his career. I can’t imagine the anxiety, especially for mature employees.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t going to happen now it will happen eventually. But this time I had the sense that whatever happens, I\u2019ll be okay.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Nevertheless, Arul was happy for the years spent at SPH. There was no bitterness at all! Either way, he recognised that being bitter wouldn\u2019t have helped matters\u2026<\/p>\n
The Support of Family and Friends When Facing A Retrenchment<\/h2>\n
Family members were very supportive and gave Arul encouragement during this time. Often friends and families would find it awkward to bring up the subject even if they want to show support. Afterall, most of us avoid uncomfortable conversations about life events. But you know what? This is a time when your word of encouragement or help in looking out for jobs for your friend or family member would be appreciated!<\/p>\n
The good news is, Arul received a very fair package when he was retrenched.\u00a0 He was fortunate to also be a member of the Creative Media and Publishing Union (CMPU<\/a>). 😊A support framework that includes financial aid is needed to help unemployed people move into new jobs. Recently, the labour movement released 9 recommendations<\/a> after a year-long consultation exercise to pinpoint better ways to assist professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) in the longer run. At an uncertain time, the union gave Arul access to NTUC\u2019s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and training courses.<\/p>\n
He also got in touch with NTUC U PME Centre and career coach Herjeet Singh<\/a>, who helped him in areas like re-working his resume. \ud83d\ude42 The NTUC U PME Centre is a community to support Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs) with a common interest in workplace, career and professional development. \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
Now, career coach Herjeet<\/a> knows how hard it can be to stay positive, especially when PMEs have been unemployed for some time. He would know, because he had been retrenched more than once himself.<\/p>\n
Arul shared that while he has a LinkedIn account, he had never really actively worked on it until Herjeet came into the picture and guided him along. Arul also informed his friends of his retrenchment via his social media platforms. In less than two months after he left SPH, he secured a six-month contract position with MediaCorp! Since completing his contract job earlier in May this year, Arul has been occupied with his own freelance writing work. That\u2019s wonderful news! Afterall, tough times don\u2019t last, tough people do… \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
Image source<\/a><\/h6>\n
“The work-from-home default arrangement is affecting my mental health.”<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n