During the Covid 19 lockdown period, I have been reading both local and international commentaries and opinions to really understand how to respond to the level of career uncertainty the people who seek our support are experiencing.

The pandemic has turned our personal and professional worlds upside down. It has caused us to reflect on our own situations, and for some, to manage very difficult circumstances impacted by the crisis. We are all in a state of uncertainty, watching and waiting for the next piece of news.

As much as lockdown has shut our borders and stopped international travel, it has enhanced our interest in what is happening in our own neighborhoods and around the world. The pandemic is impacting every corner of the globe and at no other time in history have we truly felt how connected we really are.  It has also drawn attention to how leaders around the world are managing the crisis, and the significant sacrifices people in the medical world and healthcare workers have made to nurse and treat whole communities locked down by the virus. We are concerned and can see this as an opportunity for greater global collaboration.  But that’s another story.

I was impressed by Rebecca Wright’s inquiry on TV One’s Sunday last night.  She explored with Rob Fyfe, now a special adviser to the government, and economist Shamubeel Eaqub the impact Covid19 will have on our economy.  The program offered an honest perspective, acknowledging the significant challenge it will be for our economy and the tragic consequences it will have for many good businesses.  Both guests pointed out that the government must not put our people at risk and that the economy will recover over time.

Shamubeel Eaqub proposed a new economy and a ‘no holds barred’ approach to shaping it.  He suggested that the opportunities in front of us are in technology, the greening of our economy and infrastructure.  Rob Fyfe believes that New Zealand will be different and we need to reshape the economy by putting the resources behind those businesses that will have a future in this new world.

So what is going to happen?  Everyone sits with this question in their hearts and for many, with much trepidation about what they may lose. Yet we are all in this together, and not everyone is going to be impacted negatively.  The reality is that for some there will be some incredible opportunities and for others, their dreams and aspirations will be quashed. There will be pain.

The challenge now for us as individuals, regardless of how we are impacted, is to remain both open to the new environment that will unfold, and flexible to look for the opportunities where we can make a contribution.  We may need to restructure our lives somewhat, letting go of our old patterns of living and working – and even how we earn a living.  Stepping into this new world will require an increase in compassion (for BOTH self and others) and collaboration, like at no other time.

The consultants at CareerEQ are committed to understanding the reality of this evolving job market and knowing how to best guide and support people affected by redundancy. Finally, I believe there is a bigger capacity being called of us; it’s about staying present and working with what is just in front of us.  As poet David Whyte said in a recent poem, Just Beyond Yourself, it is about being “half a step into self-forgetting and the rest restored by what you meet”.