What to Do If Your Job Got Impacted by COVID-19?
As COVID-19 travelled across the world, only essential operations can fully function during lockdowns while non-essential operations were moved into a remote setup.
Co-workers are connected virtually over video conferences and email. Physical distancing, washing our hands, not touching our faces and staying home to flatten the curve are unusual habits most of us have to develop.
So we are heavily reliant on technology when working remotely. As a virtual team, we use online tools to effectively deliver tasks assigned throughout the day.
But what happened to the jobs that still needed human contact? In a world supported by technology, people still long for personal, human contact.
A special survey by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) has found that 46.6% of self-employed respondents reported losing their jobs following COVID-19 and the Movement Control Order (MCO) being enforced.
The survey is called Effects of Covid-19 Survey on Economy and Individuals and a total of 168,182 respondents aged 15 years and above participated in the survey.
In Malaysia, the Movement Control Order since March has seen companies struggle with cash flow to sustain their operations and jobs. Many have to make difficult decisions of salary cuts.
This is changing the work environment and lives of a huge number of employees.
If your job got impacted by the pandemic, these are the things that you can do:
Stay focused and secure your risks
Do you have an emergency savings to help you sail through the period of a job loss? If you don’t, start building one that is worth 6 months of household expenses or at the very least 3 months.
Consider signing up for health and life insurance. If you lose your job and are without an employer cover or an independent cover, your medical expenses could deplete your savings.
Look for opportunities to do things you are passionate about
Reskill, start freelancing, and monetise your passions. Think about the things that you are able to do. Highlighting your experiences while updating your LinkedIn profile. For your resume, on the first page you can highlight what you’ve done and the second page you can put the chronology of the jobs that you have.
You can start looking for opportunities by speaking to professionals in recruitment agencies, to have idea about the package and what jobs that are available.
What if you’re being hired?
If you’ve been hired but then put on hold, you should write to the hiring managers to make sure that the job is confirmed and you will be able to work after the pandemic is stabilised.
No company would want to spend a lot of money to go through the recruitment process all over again after a few months. Be proactive and also be patient.
Prioritise your needs and wants
Although many get salary cuts, savings could go up as a result of reduced travel and work-related expenses, cutting down on eating out and entertainment and other costs.
Personally for me, I can save more now because I don’t have to travel to the office every day. I’m still able to work from home and just go to the office alternately.
The key is in staying rational, focused and calm. Analyse your financial situation. You will know which are your needs, wants, how much you can save, which resources you can allocate and where you want it to be.
5th June 2020
Posted by:
Nadhirah Afiqah - Marketing Assistant