Staying motivated when your job is threatened

[theferry]

Picking up on recent threads around redundancies—my university has announced at least 200 jobs have to go, but has given absolutely no information on how that will work, other than it will involve compulsory redundancies. I’m in the humanities and readying myself for us to be targeted (which my university has a track record of doing). The problem is that I’m finding it so hard to motivate myself at the moment, when I may be out of a job in a year. Surely im not the only one? Any advice on blocking out the chatter and staying motivated?

I think it would be reasonable to take some of that time you devoted to work, and motivate yourself to look for another post, whether in academe, or no, or to think about retraining and start putting out feelers. If you have a firmer Plan B, you may feel more goal directed to do what you need to do for your job, and then save some time for future planning.

It's very, very hard at the moment to stay positive and motivated. I'm in PS and it's been decimated by VS and very shortly, compulsory redundancies. Nowhere near enough staff left to support the students yet being expected to cover the same workload 😕

Have they offered any staff careers advice? Agree, good to save a bit of energy looking at your options.

@itsnothingoriginal Indeed, and I am very sorry to hear. I was faculty and took VS from my university last year and retired a bit early, largely because I knew it would be dreadful. The workload was crushing as it was, and it was starting to affect my health.

Career services at our university offered to help those leaving with job leads, etc. If not an option, as an alum of a university, you sometimes can use their services…worth an enquiry. Alumni organisations can often be useful for job leads.

If your employer can’t give any job security, you use the resources you have to work for someone who can. I wish you and the OP all the best of luck in a tough situation.