I thought that The Language of Loss for the Jobless was going to be about using the language of grief to cope with loss of a job, but it’s far more about spinning your lay-off to folks in your life as you deal with it inwardly. That said, it’s always interesting to read how others cope. 

A bunch of colleagues were laid-off last week (ugh!), and it’s interesting to reflect on the language they’re using to discuss it (aside from the very real pain of the lay-off). I’m trying not to be too chaplain-like about it and encourage them to talk about their feelings (not a chaplain!), and instead just let them be with it.

On a related note, I joined an “alum” group for those of us on Linkedin who worked for the same corporate employer, and had my own dose of grief (or shock!). I read through the members of the group and was stunned by the number of smart, capable employees who no longer worked there, who presumably left on their accord or were laid-off. It makes me think about what some of the larger implications in our culture are for a generation used to being laid-off regularly.