Man Down
A good friend of mine lost his job recently. Obviously I know how this feels as I have been down this road twice in the last several years. He is very skilled at his profession, very well spoken, always on top of his game, but as many of us have seen before, it doesn’t matter how good of a job it is that you do, how well you are liked by your company, co-workers or your clients, businesses make cuts.
I’ve kept in touch with him regularly. I check on him a couple of times a week, not to give him advice on how to improve his resume or to give him interviewing tips, but just to see how he is doing after having lost his job. I do this not because I’m anyone special, but because I remember all too well how it felt when I lost my job and how alone you can feel sometimes when all of your efforts seem to yield zero results while the days keep passing by.
A Real Christian Businessman knows that in the workplace people will lose their jobs. It’s how we react to it all that will convey our true heart to others.
Do we stand around the next day and talk about the person that was fired and wonder what happened? Or do we not say anything at all, fearful that if we even bring up their name “I’ll be next to go”?
Do we reach out to your former colleague after several days have passed to see how they are doing? Or are we afraid to do this because we don’t know what to say?
Our co-workers need to hear from us when they lose their job. They don’t need a bible verse or to hear you bad mouth the company for “doing them wrong”, but they do need a supportive ear and to know that someone actually cares about them as a person.
So the next time someone you work with loses their job, take a moment and at least reach out to see how they are doing. Better yet check on them in 3-4 weeks too. Those small interactions can be just the thing they need to brighten their day.
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 1Th 5:11 (NIV)