Author has advice for jobless

People who have lost their jobs aren't the only ones who should read "Life After Layoff," a new book by Drs. Richard Van Ness and Edith Donohue.

Dr. Van Ness believes it's important for employees not to become complacent that their jobs are secure. With a 3.8 percent unemployment rate in the Capital Region and 5.3 percent in areas like Glens Falls, he said, "it's a good exercise for people to take a look at this issue" in case it someday affects them.

Dr. Van Ness, a parishioner of St. Francis de Sales Church in Loudonville, is a management and finance professor at Schenectady County Community College. Dr. Donohue is a human resource consultant.

Solutions

From computer technical support persons to airline reservation clerks, many jobs are being exported to Third World countries, according to Dr. Van Ness, who advised people to work toward "life-long learning" long before they face the possibility of losing a job.

That means attending seminars, "cross-training" to learn other skills, and even going back to school to further one's education.

Many employees who realize they may soon lose their jobs become bitter, taking more sick leave and projecting a bad attitude. But Dr. Van Ness noted that the complainers and cynics are often the employees "weeded out" first.

Instead, he advised people facing possible layoffs to "defer the axe as long as you can" by staying positive and talking about ways to save the company money, even while conducting a job search.

Shock

Even the most conscientious employees sometimes lose their jobs, and "Life After Layoff" also discusses the emotional effects of becoming unemployed, such as shock, fear and denial.

"A little time needs to be taken to assess what really is going on," Dr. Van Ness explained. "People need that time to regroup, to strengthen their self-awareness, do a self-examination.

One way to keep that time from stretching out too long, he added, is to accept help from others while promising to help to someone else someday.

The author called this "integrating Christian values with problem-solving techniques." In his book, he counsels people to think about their values and even provides a list of examples, from honesty to wealth.

New direction

Unemployment can be a time to look into new opportunities. People with an "entrepreneurial spirit," said Dr. Van Ness, might want to try starting a small business.

That not only helps in healing the emotional wounds of job loss, but can also account for the block of unemployed time to future prospective employers.

Besides, added the author, "'outsourcing' is the current buzzword." Companies often recruit small-business owners to handle tasks not covered by full-time employees.

Watch the debt

However someone chooses to deal with unemployment, Dr. Van Ness told The Evangelist, one thing to watch out for is escalating credit-card debt. In the book, he calls credit cards "instruments of evil" for increasing lines of credit when people can't afford it, thus encouraging them to live beyond their means while unemployed.

"We have record numbers of personal bankruptcies going on," he stated. If someone is already in this predicament, he advised credit counseling or negotiating with creditors to make half-payments until the person finds a job. Sample budgets are also included in the book to make financial planning easier.

Dr. Van Ness called his book simply "a service" to people struggling with the emotional and financial effects of unemployment. Though losing a job happens to many people, he said, looking at "the big picture" may help them use the time to find new directions in life.

(Dr. Van Ness credits his writing style to Rev. David Noone, pastor of St. Francis de Sales parish in Loudonville. His homilies, the author said, integrate stories and use humor in a way the author enjoys, so he decided to emulate it. Thus, his book includes many personal stories of people from all walks of life and how they handled unemployment. "Life After Layoff" is available for $19.95 from The Book House at Stuyvesant Plaza in Albany. It is also available through www.amazon.com.)

(2/4/04)