Jobless but Hopeful
Dennis Christian Hilanga in Ang Pinoy Stories
Aug 10, 2020 • 3 min Read
Call it the calm before the storm. I was relaxed after receiving a company email though I had a feeling of an impending disaster. Trying to keep my mind at peace and hoping “sana hindi.”
The storm hit two days after when I and my colleagues were called to attend an important general assembly presided by the upper management.
I knew it was a crucial announcement. They dedicated shuttle service to pick up employees from their respective homes. If it’s not a big deal, I thought, they might have called us for a virtual meeting.
Before we learned and heard it officially, we knew that it is the storm we fervently prayed not to land. But we have no control over the climate. Simultaneous to the onset of the rainy season, the rain fell hard on us. We were laid off.
The company bears the brunt of this horrendous pandemic. Without enough cash flow circulating within the business due to various factors, it decided to fold and transition the newspaper to a fully digital format.
Reality is that print media has been facing extinction since the internet dawned. But never did I think that this would happen to my previous publication in a snap. The paper was in red status but was surviving. However, like the COVID-19 patients who have weaker immune systems, it succumbed to the problems the virus created.
I was jobless. The retrenchment was shocking. I’m back to the drawing board again. I’m back to customizing my resume, adding descriptions of what I’ve done the past four years.
As much as I want to keep calm throughout the storm, I couldn’t stop figuring out what would be in store for me? Would I be able to find a job sooner? What if there are other better candidates than me?
How long before my little savings and separation pay run dry? During rainy days, money is a savior that spares us from hunger and provides us basic needs to remain alive. If you’re not that too privileged in life, you’ll appreciate that having a job is a piece of heaven no matter how demanding it is.
Losing a job is drastic particularly if there are more people whom you’re responsible for. It’s something that forces you to move quicker when the world is slowing down. You can’t stop or else you’ll die.
Recent coronavirus-related developments show that thousands of workers from various industries were also involuntarily separated from their jobs. Their employers resorted to cutting their workforce to stop the financial bleeding.
Most of these employees have their own families to feed. The challenge for them to keep afloat sans salaries filling their pockets while paying bills and serving food on the table are way tougher than mine. I have to support my family as well in terms of chipping in and settling utility payments, but I think their concerns are more serious.
Lucky are those workers who still have jobs that provide the things they need and want. It is not the time to quit. It may not be the job that you’ve been long aiming for, but be grateful for having it as it gives you the means to meet your finances. Appreciate what your current job can do for you and your family in this crisis uncertain of ending.
I know the unexplainable feeling of losing a job. The bittersweet taste of separation may stay in the tongue for a while. Nevertheless, it’s time for a brand new start.
Yet, storms will always come to pass. What must remain is the calmness during heavy rains and strong winds to keep standing still.
