by Mike Tejada

Created on: March 13, 2009

Surviving layoffs requires a good plan of action and putting the right strategies in place. Surviving layoffs means demonstrating flexibility, energy and persistence.

You have worked through the first steps of accepting and dealing with the job loss:dealing with your feelings of anger and fear. Don't leave your job without letters of recommendation, employment references, endorsements, any awards you have won and any certificates of accomplishment. Tell everyone you know that you are looking for work and what sort of jobs would suit your skills and needs.

Layoffs are a fact of life, and it's best to learn how to deal with them. Layoffs are not new to the American workplace, but the persistence of high unemployment more than a year after the September 11 terrorist attacks has shaken the workplace as never before. If you are currently working as an employee in IT and are worried about layoffs, I've put together a few thoughts based on my observations over the past few years.

There is the lingering fear that more layoffs might happen or that the company might close altogether.

As the economy falters, unemployment is likely to touch those it normally wouldn't skilled, educated workers or those with long, stable work histories. But with about 26,000 more people making unemployment claims statewide today than a year ago, firms aren't exactly having a lot of trouble finding applicants. While the formula for determining unemployment benefits is complicated, in general, your weekly unemployment check will only come to about 4 percent of the most you made in one quarter over about the last 15 months. Seth Lentz, the deputy director of the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, said most people exhaust their state unemployment benefits in six months, although they can last longer if you work during that time and you draw a smaller weekly check. On the plus side, any money you have set aside like in a savings or retirement account will not be factored into how much in unemployment you get. The Working for America Institute offers a Layoff Survival Kit for union leaders and workers, including updated information on unemployment benefits, downloadable publications, including Surviving Layoffs and Plant Closures, and the latest data on the economic impact of layoffs on states and metropolitan areas. It's up to you to insulate yourself as best as you can against being tossed back into the unemployment pool.

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