According to the experts, many workers will be laid off more than once.  So, it's a good idea to be prepared. It's is survivable, but still a very stressful time, even if you are one of the high performers in your workplace. Anyone can get laid off. Don't expect a layoff to be rational.

Don’t do anything that might get you fired quickly.  Employers have the right to monitor what you do with company assets.  I have worked with IT professionals who told me that they routinely conducted checks of employee e-mails, and personal use of company computers could lead to immediate termination.


Never conduct a job search at your current job.  That means do not use your office:

  •  Computer or company notebook computer

  •   Internet connection
  •  Telephone or company cell phone - long distance or local calls
 •  E-Mail and work e-mail address
  •  Paper, envelopes, and stamps

However, you are more marketable when you are working and the best time to find a job is when you are still employed, so start networking and sending out resumes when you are not at work.


Getting Ready to Be Unemployed
Planning for a possible job loss in advance can make it a little less traumatic when it happens.  You can:

• Protect your pension and/or 401K, if possible
  If you think that the company is at risk of going out of business completely, look into your company benefits - can you re-allocate all or part of your 401K if it is 100% invested in your employer's stock? Can you take your pension as a "lump sum" when you leave? If you are part of a profit-sharing plan that is 100% invested in company stock, can you diversify with investments in other companies' stocks?
  
  Even if you are in your 20's or 30's, be protective and pro-active about retaining as many of these long-term financial benefits as you can. They will come in very handy some day...

• Get a copy of your official personnel folder
  Try to get a copy of your personnel file - performance reviews, letters of commendation, warnings, etc. Stop by the HR department, and offer to copy the file yourself - "just for my own records." You are looking for documents you don't have in your personal personnel folder (which, of course, you have been keeping over the years), but make a copy of everything you can.

• Collect written recommendations 
  Get written recommendations before everyone scatters, particularly from your boss, hopefully on company letterhead. You may not be able to reach people if they have left the employer, too, so get that recommendation NOW, so you have it at home "just in case" the layoff happens to hit you.

• Develop a list of people who will serve as references for you 
  If someone has had an opportunity to see you at work and seems to think you do a good job, ask if they will be a reference for you. Ask supervisors, managers, colleagues, co-workers, and even subordinates. Then, ask for their personal contact information so that you can stay in touch after you or they leave your current employer. You need your references’ name, title, address, home phone, cell phone, and e-mail address (if possible).  If your references’ leave for new jobs get the name of the new employer, title, business address, and e-mail address.  Get approval from as many people as possible because there will be attrition as time passes.
  
  If someone doesn't agree or seems reluctant, don't use them as a reference. They could hurt your next job search if a potential employer calls them.

• Be a reference for others
  If you liked their work, be willing and prepared to be a reference for your co-workers, colleagues, supervisors, and subordinates, too. This is one of the ways to start your post-employment networking, and that's a very good thing for your future job searches.

• Get personal contact information from others you know in the company 
  In addition to the people who may serve as references, collect personal contact information from colleagues as well as permission to stay in touch. Then, when/if you (or one of your co-workers) disappear from the workplace, you will be able to stay in touch through the coming months and years.
  
  Your "former" co-workers will ultimately be part of your network. They will be a good source of support and information for you in your job search, as you can be for them in their job search. The former employees of some companies join together in an "company alumni group" to facilitate staying in touch, and your fellow ex-employees may, too, but get that contact information before everyone leaves, just in case.

• Quietly remove your personal items from your place of work
  Start taking home personal items, as quietly and as unobtrusively as you can. If you are selected to be laid off, you may not have time to pack your things to take home. Someone else may do it later, or never. So, do it in advance yourself. Take the family photos, awards, etc. home. If you've installed your own software on your company's computer, be sure that you take home the package, manual, CD, etc. Also, if you've done any personal work on your office computer, be sure to take copies home and delete those files from the office computer.
  
  Be careful about removing anything that the company would consider to be owned by the company, anything that would be "proprietary" to the company, or anything that would compromise their business and your future (like customer lists, proposals, patent applications, financial reports, etc.). Note that, unless you've made other arrangements in advance, your employer probably "owns" what you have created at work. They also own your office computer and the office supplies you use.
  
  Use your own judgment and ethics, but be careful. If something is marked "company confidential," leave it alone. Former employees can be, and are, sued for violating agreements. They can even be accused of theft. If you aren't sure, call an attorney outside the company. You don't want to become a "criminal" in the process of preparing for your next job search.

• Be your own advocate
  Look into severance packages and what you may be able to negotiate on your way out the door. People being laid off are often provided with "outplacement" services - which includes career counseling, help with a resume, sometimes even offices with phones and IT support. Several weeks, or months, of vacation or continued salary are VERY handy, etc.

• Be careful of using company assets for personal reasons
  Stop using the company e-mail for personal messages to family and friends outside of the company. Be very careful of what is charged to the company credit card, etc. If there is a layoff pending, someone viewed as "abusing company assets" for personal use may be at greater risk than other employees.