How to Deal with Concerns About Your Job Security

There are times in our career when we experience concerns about the security of our job and wonder if we’ll still be employed in the next few weeks. For example, your company might be struggling financially, or has recently gone through a restructuring or round of layoffs or is in the process of a merger.

These situations always bring about a great deal of uncertainty and can lead to anxiety in the workplace and fears about the future.

But there are ways to make these situations more manageable and allow you to deal with concerns about job security in a healthy way.

Get your finances in order. Hopefully, you’re not waiting until a crisis to get your finances in order. And by, in order, we mean ensuring that you have a budget in place, your income is greater than your expenses, you’re saving money, and you are contributing to a retirement plan. Having a sense of financial security can ease the stress of anxiety related to your job and future employment.

Avoid gossip. Stay away from the speculation about the company and what might happen. There will always be a lot of people with opinions in your company but many of them are not informed opinions and only serve to stir up controversy. Avoid the people in your company who are gossiping and sharing information that might or might not be true.

Maintain good communication. On the other hand, maintain good communication with your immediate supervisor and be sure to discuss any concerns you have about the company and its direction. Let your manager know you and the team would appreciate regular updates on the merger, state of the industry, or whatever the specific situation your company is going through.

Focus on your health. Take care of yourself, both mentally and physically. If you’re experiencing some depression or anxiety, seek out the help of a professional. Get enough sleep, reduce or eliminate alcohol intake, get some physical exercise, and focus on maintaining an optimistic approach to your life and work.

Deepen your network. At any time in your career there should be attention paid to developing and deepening your network. Having a healthy and robust system of support is always helpful to your life and career.