Encomium
The board of Continental Broadcasting Services Ltd. (CBS), owners of Television Continental (TVC) and Radio Continental, on Friday, June 2, 2017, offloaded 145 staffers onto the labour market.
Advancing restructuring and repositioning as reasons for the sack, they also wound up the operations of TVC News Africa.
With over 300 staffers, sources said their monthly salary of N200 million was choking and indefensible. There were speculations that 200 employees were pencilled for sack.
The sad news that Friday was source of anguish for the staffers who joined the unemployment queue parading over 5.5 million Nigerians since 2015. The total number of unemployed and underemployed Nigerians stood at 28.58 million by the end of 2016.
Though the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Radio Television Theatre and Arts Workers Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU) promised to step in, not much has been achieved…
The pain, pang and peril of job loss are far reaching. Since work grounds us, enhances our well being and defines to a large extent who we are, losing one’s means of livelihood can be devastating.
Here are some of the effects of losing one’s job as different studies show:
* It affects identity, self worth and self respect.
* Spouse may react negatively, with frequent skirmishes and disagreement.
* It affects women’s most emotional need of security.
* Possibility of divorce doubles.
* It actually causes physical sickness.
* It can lead to depression and mental health issues.
* Some even contemplate suicide and more horrible actions.
Psychologists and therapists have advised that many steps are needed to be taken by the victims of retrenchment.
To weather the storms and survive the calamity, here are a few actions to take:
1 Recognise all the emotions that come with the sad news. From anger to worthlessness, blame game to sadness, bitterness and depression. And properly situate them.
It is a bad thing that has happened, and its multiplier effects are unimaginable. So, know all the emotions that will dominate your life in the following weeks.
2 Take stock of your life, both the positives and negatives. Why were you retrenched? Was it the economy or not working hard and smart? Or was it working in an endangered sector?
What are you good at? How can you upgrade your skills and personae? How can you become more marketable?
Dust yourself up, and plan your next moves. Many of them won’t work, but don’t give up.
3 Think outside the box, it maybe the opportunity that will lead you to self employment.
What have you always planned to do? This is the time to take risks. After all, what do you have to lose?
4 Seek anchorage in your faith. Deepen your knowledge of what counts, and think long and hard about tomorrow.
Forgive and let go of the pains and infractions.
Start afresh.
5 Try harder. It increases your luck!
