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Follow on Google News |  I need this job: what if I get fired?Dr. Ivan Kos examines the fear of getting fired, and how to handle that fear.
By: Popular Press Media Group (PPMG) 
Dr. Ivan Kos, author, business consultant,psychoanalyst & leading expert on fear Economic uncertainty may trigger multiple fears concerning personal security and safety: • can we afford to get fired now • where will we go if we lose a job • if fired we may never find another job • how are we going to pay for child’s education • are we going to be able to pay the mortgage and medical expenses • what will happen with our retirement money • what will occur if the boss doesn’t like us • can’t afford to relocate • have no funds, or • too old to learn another skill. There are many good reasons why workers fear getting fired. From lack of confidence in one’s performance to the uncertain fear of lay offs and/or downsizing. Not knowing how bills will get paid, not being able to buy the things they once did, can cause many sleepless nights. Negatude: the power of Exaggerated Fear Research findings indicate that 70 percent of employee’s fear they will get fired. When we are in a work environment where our job security is threatened by poor job conditions, inflexible and unreasonably punitive bosses or manager(s) it’s very easy to react defensively to any criticism, positive or negative. We might experience our manager(s) with suspicion and trepidation since we have come to believe that our economic security is endangered. Our negative and suspicious reactions may become inflated and we begin to view the environment with an Exaggerated Fear. We may perceive more bad intentions than there really are. Any action our manager takes we automatically assume it to be driven by negative intent and not in our favor, hence leaving us with distressed and worrisome thoughts of what type of consequences we may end up enduring. Our thinking becomes suspicious and negative while our actions grow to be defensive and reactive. Our fact based reasoning diminishes while our negative and exaggerated thinking increases. We become encapsulated by worries that further exacerbates our Exaggerated Fear‘s emotional response with assumed imminent danger. And as end result our self- confidence begins to deteriorate. Employees who fear being fired turn out to be less productive, become afraid of making wrong decisions, fear not having enough work, or saying the wrong thing that can get them in trouble. Because of this Exaggerated Fear, reaction stress eventually kicks in and affects their functioning and health. To quiet down their Exaggerated Fears (and the shame of becoming unemployed) they are willing to compromise and accede their true belief to behaviors they think will keep them safe. Hence they willingly tend to: • allow maltreatment from management • permit being bullied or harassed • go along to get along • hide their real personalities • mask their real opinions • hide their real options • accept too low or unfair salaries • ingratiate themselves, and • avoid complaining about any problem they see. All of these fears can throw us, stopping us in our track. Living under the uncertainty of Exaggerated Fear our creativity will get strangled and our productivity stifled. UPtitude: The fact-finding mission Having an UPtitude mindset that we will be fine, regardless of whether we get fired or not can ease the constant gnawing “what-if” fear thought when our boss passes or we get asked to deliver a job. By accepting that life comes with uncertainty and realizing that fearing we will get fired will not change the inevitable, we can be more comfortable in dealing with the discomfort and focus on solutions. Hence maintaining an UPtitude, or positive attitude, matters. It is important to recognize that even if we lose the job - our knowledge and talent will stay with us forever. Therefore we need to explore what other options we have. We need to raise our sights, empower ourselves by acting more productively at work, honing our skills and continuously networking for new possibilities. We need to explore what other work related options we may find in the present or another job so to feel happier and more secure. We need to be mindful that people get fired for many different reasons and stop attributing all the misgivings at work to be due to our fault only. Reasons can be due to: • personality mismatch • skill mismatch • refusing to get along, and • downsizing. Looking for solutions If performance is an issue, we need to improve the way we deliver our job responsibilities. If co-worker is causing a problem, we need to find out if we can get reassigned to another project, team or department. If we fear we can’t take on anymore work, we need to be honest with our boss about what we can and cannot do. This is better than making promises that we can’t keep. But, if we determine that we may get fired because of unreasonable bosses demands, mismatched work culture, or demands we can’t meet, then we need to find what else we can do in case we lose the job. Henceforth, it is important we create action plan with positive solution oriented steps. We begin by scanning job listings and start preparing for a new job search. We dare ourselves to change. About Dr. Ivan Kos Author, Dr. Ivan Kos is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and a member of the International Association of Applied Psychology, among others, and lives in New York City. Originator of the Fear Stage Theory (FST), he is also the author of "To Dare: It is Easier to Succeed than To Fail" which offers an antidote that empowers people with the ability to learn from fear, overcome negativity, and transform lives. Follow Dr. Ivan Kos Want daily tips on strengthening your life and work place? Follow Dr. Ivan Kos on Twitter! http://twitter.com/ End
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