The effects of lengthy unemployment

Anxiety at work

One of the key issues with recession is the lack of jobs and opportunities, which naturally lends its hand to unemployment. And with US unemployment hovering around ten percent, a number of re-employed Americans are finding out about the stresses of being in new employment as the economy recovers.

Finding a job and being offered the position can be extremely difficult and challenging; interviews, second interviews and tests can all magnify the levels of anxiety. However many new employees are suffe ring similar stress and anxiety after landing a new job, after they have been unemployed for any length of time. The new anxiety is generally centered around an added fear about the prospect of losing their new job.

Persistent ill effects include damaged self-esteem, fears about repeating job mistakes, concentration difficulties and insomnia. "All those things are detrimental to performance on the new job," says John P. Wilson, a psychology professor at Cleveland State University. "Stress-related symptoms from being unemployed will carry over into the new job for a significant number of people."

The length of unemployment

This really isn't surprising. And to add fuel to the fire it is an arresting fact that the average duration of unemployment in the US has exceeded 19 weeks - almost five months. Experts have pointed out that those employees that were out of work for over six months or have experienced multiple layoffs are more likely to experience new-job anxiety.

"I've seen this syndrome nearly without exception among clients [when they found jobs after lengthy unemployment], says Pamela Mitchell, chief executive of Reinvention Institute, a career-coaching firm in Miami. "Their faith in themselves has been shaken."

One recently employed senior manager told the WSJ, "I am doing a good job here, but I worry about it every minute. I never have experienced anything like this on a new job in my life."

Solving problems of new-job jitters

One way to get over the jitters of starting anew after a long bout of unemployment: "Remind yourself of what you have to offer," Ms. Mitchell says. "Review your five biggest career accomplishments and relive the feelings they inspired."

There is also the 100-day plan, which entails the employee outlining their initial goals to achieve at the new job. Jason E. Hartley, an ex-middle manager for a global telecommunications company, even practiced how he would describe his 2009 layoff to new co-workers.

Other key factors for employees are grasping and understanding the new working environment and culture at their new work. One way to achieving this are explained by executive coach Mr. Miles. Mr. Miles explains that the key for new employees is to embrace the resident "Yoda" in the workplace. In other words, employees should seek out and speak to experienced members of staff to get a better understanding of the environment and understand what is expected from them within the boundaries of their role. This would help alleviate one of the side-effects of being unemployed too long; employees working too hard or not focusing on the essential elements of their job role in preference for getting noticed.

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Best approach to avoid redundancy | Overcoming depression in the workplace | Engaging employees post recession - It starts with good leadership

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