How to remain stable in a workforce that is not

Speaker A: I'm Michelle.

Speaker B: And I'm Kathryn.

Speaker A: And we're here at the Healthy Hurried Human podcast where we talk about keeping

Speaker B: pace in a world that never slows down. Welcome back to the Healthy Hurried Human Podcast.

Speaker A: I'm Kathryn. And I'm Michelle. So we're going to be diving in today on talking about how are we as a human being, as a person going to remain stable when the workforce around us is not? You and I have been talking that recently. We've seen UPS 48,000 they laid off this year. Amazon, intel, intel, target the government. Uh, it's, it's mass layout. It's, it's, it's massive. And then you brought up that just this year there have been 950,000 layoffs. It's the largest since, that we've seen since 2020. And you know, we've spent many of episodes talking about the organization and the, and the business side of why this is happening in AI and the economic, you know, situations that we're in uncertainty. But we don't talk about the person and the persons that this impacts and how it impacts us because, uh, you know, this weekend I couldn't, uh, when I met someone who said, yeah, I work for ups, my first question is, how you doing? How, how are you doing knowing that your company is doing these sweeps? I just wanted to know because I, I.

Speaker B: So you're so just to clarify, you're talking about the worker that's still in the company? Yeah, we're not talking about this episode of what do you do when you've lost your job. We're talking about the cultural impact, the uh, the um, team mindset of watching you lose your work buddy, your companion, massive layoffs, maybe a department. Department. When it comes back to me, maybe it's the, your go to person that's been replaced or they lay off a whole level of management and it's twofold. You're losing things. But you also have um, a dread or anticipation of when it might happen to me. And some of you might watch what was your succession plan get blown up. So we want to just address this

Speaker A: because it, here's the thing, even if it's so when it's not you, but it's happening in your company, it's hap. It feels close. It feels all of a sudden, I think the reality of, oh, this could be me, I could be next. Um, I mean, it's been around, the studies have been around too long for companies not to know that when they do this, your morality within your company and your Culture takes a huge hit. Companies know this. You can't not know that as a company, but as an individual, all of a sudden you come face to face with so many uncertainties, um, of if this also.

Speaker B: Sometimes someone has to absorb the work they were doing. You're now going to have more pressure because somebody has to absorb this work. You can't lay off that many people because the jobs actually went fully away.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: So there's now added pressure and company morale.

Speaker A: And so the biggest impact when you were in an uncertain workforce, and I would, I really feel like not every industry, but many industries right now are in an uncertain workforce. Because, uh, with government shutdowns, that alone has such a ripple effect. But then with, uh, changing workforces, whether it's AI or whatever, with the economic uncertainty, there are so many industries right now that are in an uncertain workforce. The biggest impact is to personal identity. Uh, human beings, you know, even though we're told, don't you know who. What you do is not who you are, we're told that. I think people hear that what you do isn't who you are. But that's so hard to live out. If you take, uh, Because I question myself, I'm like, if you take my degrees, if you took my 30 years experience from me, obviously you can't. But if that were gone or I couldn't do this, I would personally struggle with some identity. Even though I feel like I've done work and know that I have work, you know, I've done personal work to know my worth and to know that I have other roles and all of that kind of stuff, we still, as human beings, especially in American society, we have a real hard time not holding identity with the work that we do. Making money is an identity, having certainty, having a role at work is an identity. And so that's the biggest thing that takes a hit. Even if you haven't lost your job, when jobs around you become uncertain, your identity is starting to be threatened. And so I want to tie that into the healthy, hurried, human perspective. Um, people become more hurried in an uncertain workforce. They become anxious, reactive. And then, as you were saying just now, they become, they, they get stretched thinner than ever. I mean, if you lay off full departments, even if you're using AI, don't you think the human beings. Isn't somebody having right now to check what AI is doing? Human beings, you know, I just feel like, I don't know, we're giving.

Speaker B: What's the oversight?

Speaker A: Yeah, like there has to be. I feel like we're still stretching human beings that are there thinner than you were before. So, um, when work feels unstable, everything we've attached to it, our worth, our rhythm and security starts to wobble too. Um, I want to explore how our titles and our roles quietly shape how we see ourselves. You want to explore that with me?

Speaker B: Yes. I mean, I do. You want me to say something about that or my thoughts on that? Yeah, I mean it's. Excuse us while we turn the page on our notes. I don't know how to separate that because the entire time you were talking I was thinking of like one of my favorite John Hughes movies is Some Kind of Wonderful. And there's so much of a presence of that, of that movie about the main character didn't want a blue collar job and that conversation he has about having because he works at a car garage and the stains on his hands. And there's uh, people out there on social media who say, when you meet someone, don't ask what do you do? Say what's a new project you're working on? Like trying to move us to where we don't identify people with jobs or, or their title or their role because they have a weight or a significance. And it's just, I mean the whole time you're talking I'm like, but it's so inbred. And we're trying to find a way to connect with somebody. And titles hold weight. And um, I've worked with people who said titles don't matter. And they matter.

Speaker A: They, they do matter.

Speaker B: They matter. That org chart matters.

Speaker A: That's about the same as like, we're in a family here.

Speaker B: Yeah, let's don't wear to tell people

Speaker A: that we're a family here. It's a lie, it's a delusion. And then tell people that their titles or, or their uh, you know, even their role, their titles don't matter. It's not.

Speaker B: If your CEO, the brain is smarter than that. If your CEO is telling you that titles don't matter, what that is going to mean is that the CEO wants to blur the lines and to be able to assign you the job they want to do, even if it's not your job or responsibility. So just be aware about that. However, there, there are just some roles or titles that have weight to them and they're positions that have weight of responsibility. Not just pay like their um, what you get paid, what your compensation package is, but your level of responsibility and accountability you're held to for the rest of the company. And sometimes people get fired because they take a hit because of the company optics. There's. There's just a lot here. What we're trying to talk about is how do we encourage our listeners to internally fortify themselves and reassure themselves and remind themselves of who they are? One of the things that you and I have agreed on, which is why we went into business together, is because you actually have a deep concern and care for the worker at every level. You care about the person who's on the manufacturing floor, and you care about the person that's in the C suite. And the driving purpose of foxygen was to help the C suite see the worker, the working level, the manufacturing floor as a whole person. And the Healthy Hurried Human helps you understand that you are not just a role in one company.

Speaker A: You.

Speaker B: You have a bigger life outside of there. And that should give you strength and encouragement.

Speaker A: And this episode of the Healthy Hurried Human podcast is sponsored by Midlife Thrives. Midlife Thrives is for women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s navigating perimenopause and menopause. If you've felt the energy dips, the mood swings, or the brain fog that make you wonder if you're losing yourself, you're not alone. Maybe Midlife Thrives is here to help give you clarity, resources, and a supportive circle of women who get it. No quick fixes, no shame, just some real guidance for real life. Learn more and connect@midlifethrives.com because thriving in midlife isn't optional. It's your new standard. Healthy hurt. One of the aspects, one of the spokes on our wheel is purpose. And it is so incredibly important for people, for all of us, when we are in an uncertain workforce or working environment, which I think most, most everybody is in right now. And you don't, you know, you've got the personalities who are like, I'm not going to look, I'm not going to see this. I'm not going to pay attention because I'm fine, my job's fine. So you have that personality, which is, I, uh, don't want to look at it. I don't want to be anxious.

Speaker B: I don't want to, you know, it'll cause anxiety. Please don't show it to me.

Speaker A: They want to avoid it. Okay, so it's avoidance. And then you have personalities who are like, okay, tell me how to prepare for it. I want this episode to be for that person. How. Okay, let me tell you how to prepare for it. But I want it to be for the avoidant person to say, look, you've got. I want you to look at it. I need you to turn around. I need you to look in the mirror.

Speaker B: So how do they prepare for it?

Speaker A: I think you have to start thinking, uh, about yourself beyond your work and what roles in your life matter most to you. So purpose getting aligned with your purpose. Because purpose is that thing that if the, how you are able to walk out, your purpose changes, your purpose doesn't. So, uh, if you are a speaker or you are a communicator, or you are, you're. And I'm not talking about a role at work, I'm talking about the thing that you feel the most connected to and alive at when you are accomplishing this. If you, if I was a communicator, which I am, but I can no longer stand on stages and speak, then you start writing blogs, you start writing a book, you start writing. Your purpose doesn't change the how you, how you walk out. That purpose is what changes. And so it's really important m for whether you're the person who doesn't really want to look at it or the person who says, okay, show me how to prepare for this. In this very uncertain working. Start getting connected to your purpose. If you are somebody listening, going, I don't know what my purpose is. Boy, this is a great time for you to walk that journey. It's a really good, enjoyable journey to walk. So start getting your books, start reading your, you know, reading your blog post, if that's a thing still, you know, follow people who talk about purpose. Start exploring what your purpose is, because that's going to help you feel grounded. Because if your role disappears, you understand what your grounding is and what your next chapter might need to be. It gives you not just purpose, it gives you hope. Um, tired teams don't just need another training, they need transformation. The healthy, hurried human lab helps organizations build emotionally fit, resilient and connected teams that perform better without burning out. This interactive training goes beyond theory, combining organizational psychology with personal appraisal that helps every participant understand how their mental, emotional and relational habits show up at work. When people grow, companies thrive. Book your healthy, hurried human lab for your teams today@foxygenconsulting.com and start creating healthier, more human workplace place. I think you have to think about your values. You get connected to what you value in life. What are your values? And then what are your relational connections? It's real important when you feel uncertain in your work is to look at what's going on in your relational. Where you connected relationally because, 1. Do you have the support from friends and family who are going to love you if something shifts in your life? Do you know that you have people. I don't mean to, like, show up with money and that kind of stuff. That's all, um, that's. That's a benefit. But do you feel support? Do you know that you have a circle of people who support you, understanding your relational supports? But then it's also important to know who. Who you know, this is a business aspect of. Do you know. Do you feel like, you know, people that you can reach out to? Um, whether it's getting, you know, job coaching or networking or encouragement for what's out there, like what your relational connections are, both personally and, uh, professionally, that's important. These are the things that you want to start thinking about. Um, you know, it's no different than financially. When people say, hey, you need to have an emergency fund, nobody wants to think about the emergency. Nobody wants to come up with all the different ways we could have an emergency. Like, ah, that's not fun. But we know it's prudent, and we. And it's good advice to say, let me put an emergency fund aside.

Speaker B: So we're talking to people who are still in a company, maybe see the writing on the wall that their department or their succession plan has just been erased off the org chart and that they are concerned that this is coming to them. Your advice is double down on. Know your purpose. No, like, these are your values.

Speaker A: Get connected to your values.

Speaker B: Your values, your purpose, um, you know, relational connections and your relational connections. These are the three things that you need to start shoring up yourself. Because work is unstable right now. The culture feels it, whether or not people are talking about it. There's a measure of. Of deflated morale. And, uh, and everybody's kind of on edge. But these are ways that you can fortify yourself.

Speaker A: Yes. And create a sense of calm and security for yourself. Because so the person. So remember m. I said, there's two people. So the person who's like, all right, this is happening. Tell me what to do. I'm giving you the tools to do it. And you feel empowered by that. So the person is like, ah, I don't want to. You know, I don't want to look at this. I don't. I don't. I want to avoid thinking about it. If I say, hey, that's fine. You don't have to think about. But if you'll practice these things, it'll make you calmer and it'll make you more secure and you'll be okay. And you'll, you'll feel okay. And you don't have to think about what you know, it's like the emergency fund. I don't want to think about what emergencies this could be used for.

Speaker B: Okay, great. Don't. But just hate this.

Speaker A: I know I'm doing the work and that makes me feel secure. And because subconsciously your brain's like, okay,

Speaker B: if something comes, I have an action plan.

Speaker A: I have an action plan.

Speaker B: Or uh, I know who I am. Like I'm not.

Speaker A: That's right.

Speaker B: There, there is an identity. And when you lose that identity and who you are, it can be really kicking the teeth.

Speaker A: And it's like that merry go round thing that was real popular in the 70s for us that you could die on the metal. Yeah.

Speaker B: It's like when, when you are not describing it well, but when you go on cylinder that they would spin so fast, the G forces would press you up against the wall and the bottom would drop out.

Speaker A: No, I was just talking about the playground equipment that you could just run with the handles. Remember that one?

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker A: And throw kids like you could. It was like my brothers would try to throw each other off of it by going as fast.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker A: Yeah, but it's still the G force. But that's what I think it's like when people are. Lose their jobs. Even if they know it's coming, just like the kid holding on to the thing, they know it's coming. They're going to get thrown off of it. But it knowing it's coming or not knowing it's coming, you're being thrown. You're being your world turned and turned and then you feel like you've just hit a wall. And it is. So I, I have several clients that I work with currently right now. What I see it do to them when they have lost their job. The ones who had a better outlook and who were more prepared are faring well. Just mentally and emotionally because it is a real grind trying to find a work, to find a job. And then the constant every. And anybody who's looked for a job knows this. And especially right now, it's like you feel like you're screaming into an abyss. Pay attention to me. Hire me. And, and you, uh, also it's that the disheartening of never even being being called, never being interviewed and then interviewing and never being called again. You know, it's just. It sets us up for such an emotional rejection time in our life trying to find a job. So it is so good and so important to be in a healthier place before all of that, before your world just gets mixed up.

Speaker B: From my perspective, those three things of your purpose, your values, your strong relationships tether you to the fact that you do have an importance in this world. And if you go out in, uh, interviews knowing that you have something great to offer and you are really confident in what you have to offer you, you are going. The, the people interviewing you are going to believe you. And, and this is something that can help you understand you actually have purpose in this world. And it's good. And, and please be encouraged at this time that that company may not have been able. They're like this, like if a company is not sustaining you, it's not, uh, or if, uh, even if you do work really hard and a project fails and they cut you like you have value and you have something very beautiful to offer to the world and surround yourself with, um, I'm, I'm thinking healthy inner circle. I'm thinking relationally thriving your purpose. And also, don't forget the daily self parenting that we talk about too.

Speaker A: That's right.

Speaker B: Of, keep, uh, a routine, take care of yourself, make sure you're fed. We're not saying live in la la land and be Pollyanna and forget that this isn't hard or difficult or challenging, but this is the time to really run the wheel and take care, good care of yourself in the midst of it.

Speaker A: That's right. I want us to, um. Being emotional readiness doesn't always strike people as logical as a logical response.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker A: Because that's, um. I think men struggle with this the most. And then they're the ones who I find are so ready when they reach out because it surprises them, the emotional unreadiness of when something changes. Women, uh, can lean into this. If I say to a woman, it's really important for you to be emotionally ready, a woman goes, okay. Oftentimes she leans in. However, it doesn't seem like the most logical thing to do when things are not steady is to be like, where are my emotions with things? The logical thing to do is make a plan. But at the same time that's what we're doing when we say emotionally, what we're talking about with get grounded in your purpose. Get grounded, you know, know your values and understand and be aware of your, uh, how strong your relational connections are. We're, we're giving you a plan, but we're getting, we're getting you to emotional readiness for whatever's coming, whatever's coming and you may be fine, maybe nothing happens, but you will go through that unsteadiness with a more solid foundation. And then I, you know, obviously if something does change, you're more prepared uh, to, to deal with it.

Speaker B: And I think that's what these assessments which you can, how do if someone wants to have a further conversation about that or get, or to get one of the appraisals that we have, how, how can they reach out to us and let us know that this is something that they want to do?

Speaker A: Uh, email us at informationoxygenconsulting.com infoxygenconsulting.com Great.

Speaker B: Well, we see it happening and we have a lot of compassion because we've all been, I mean I've been there, I've been, I've lost a job due to layoffs and been, been cut from that. And, and I remember, you know, I've been cut from a job that was, the culture was terrible, but I just needed a job. And I remember just being very emotional in the um, HR office because I just, the idea of having to go look for another job was so daunting. And if I had known and had the, had what you're talk with my purpose and my values and understanding of like where I show up in, in the job market would have been, you know, the life preserver I needed at that time.

Speaker A: Well, and you bring up another point that uh, I just thought about. If you do find yourself in the position of losing your job, um, my big thing is feel it, feel it, feel sad for yourself. Have some self pity. But you need to tell yourself this is how long I get. I get three days, I get a week. You give yourself an expiration date of when that's over because you, you, it is when we lose a job, whether it's a layoff or however it comes about, it is a huge, huge hit to our ego, our identity. All of those things take a big hit. And I am not going to be somebody who says hey, buck up, let's move on. Like to me that's not giving sort of value to self well and reflection

Speaker B: and honoring like the past work. You may have really poured yourself out for that company and had a future. And it can be the loss or a death of a dream or a future.

Speaker A: I mean like you said, the succession planning, you have to give it that space but put an expiration date on it. Decide do I get three days, Do I get a week? You know, I would certainly say no more than 14 days. But give yourself that space. But Then I hope follow the plan. Follow the plan is what gives us security. That's what gives us, um, hope. That's, that's the thing that keeps us from being pulled into captivity by something when we lose something.

Speaker B: So we're going to wrap this up now, but, Michelle, would you just repeat the three areas that you mentioned earlier that people need to start preparing themselves for by knowing this about themselves?

Speaker A: Get grounded on your purpose. Know your values. If you've never talked to yourself about what are the things that I value most, whether it's in life and jobs, like all your values, you can separate it by categories. And, um, pay attention to the connection, your relational connections.

Speaker B: Great.

Speaker A: Both personally and professionally.

Speaker B: And if you want more understanding of all of those, we've done two podcasts on purpose as well as on relationally thriving, um, in the. In our previous episodes that might really help you walk through. Walk through that. And, um, thanks for joining us. Thank you for joining us. And if you have any more to add to this conversation, please mention it in the comments. Take care of yourselves.

Speaker A: The Healthy, Hurried Human Podcast is brought to you by foxygen Consulting and a handful of silent sponsors who believe in this work and quietly keep us going. We see you, we thank you, and we are glad that you're part of this journey.