The Lighter Side

Inter-generational rifts. They seem to occur all the time; in the family, the home, out in the streets, in the halls of Washington DC and in the workplace.  I’m guessing you experienced inter-generational rifts growing up, and at times probably still experience such a rift. Think back. The Baby Boomer’s of the 1960’s being labeled as too radical by older generations. Parents and grandparents being flabbergasted by the baggy clothes that permeated the 90’s. General differences continue to exist today, which makes sense, given people are partially a product of the time period they grew up in.

For example, I have heard people from Generation X (people born between 1960 and 1980) say that people from Generation Y (people born between 1980 and 2000) are not independent enough, while I have heard people from Generation Y say that people from Generation X are not comfortable enough expressing their feelings.

Now I am not here to stereotype, or make a complex phenomena simple at the expense of integrity. People from the same generation often have vastly different personalities, differing values and goals, in addition to different worldviews. However, research has shown that individuals from particular generations have tendencies towards particular behaviors and worldviews (Denham & Gadbow, 2002). For purposes of this article, I will be talking about Generation Y; the recent changes in values and worldview that have occurred in Generation Y due to the economic recession and how said changes can effect job prospects and mental health for the unemployed and employed alike.

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For those of you who are tired of watching GDP tick down; for those that are tired of watching the unemployment rate lose its sense of gravity- there’s officially a better way. A few better ways, actually.

Everyday economists are getting creative with the way they assess the economy. For years, the Hemline Indicator predicted the state of things. The shorter the skirts, the better the year. The premise is that when the stocks are up, people feel better. When they feel better, they feel better about themselves. And they show it by showing off their legs (at least the females). 

Then there’s also the Bikini Indicator: in years when an American graced the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, the Dow Jones outperformed the average by 7%.  

This recession’s different. It’s the worst since the 1930s, blah blah blah. And desperate times call for desperate measures. Or so argues the Hot Waitress Index. It’s point: in good times, attractive women can always get a job in sales. Or the wilder ones can pull in $2k a night wrapped around a pole. But when the times are tough, those opportunities dry up with the rest. And so they wait tables.

Anyone have an index of their own they’d like to share?

Has anyone out there ever felt like Michael Corleone in The Godfather III. “Just when I thought I was out…they pull me back in.” For example, you’re enjoying a pleasant Sunday with your family and/or friends. Perhaps some baseball, bbq and swimming. Sure you’re unemployed, but the sun is out, it’s a beautiful summer day and mostly, what’s better than some quality time with friends and family? Then something happens to suddenly shift your mood 180 degrees.

You turn on the TV for a bit, and as you are flipping channels stumble across a news report featuring the dire state of the U.S. economy, possibly talking about unemployment rates, forclosures or personal economic tragedy. Or, perhaps the radio is on FM, you are in a state of euphoria, not only spending quality time with friends and family, but also listening to the inspiring lyrics of Bruce Springsteen. The station goes to commercial and you decide to see what’s on AM radio. 1010 Wins (A New York radio station, I promise I won’t usually be New York centric!) comes on and you hear, “This is 1010 wins, you give us 22 minutes, we’ll give you the world. Our first story, more Americans unemployed then ever, will the economy ever get better?”

Like last week’s article alluded to, being unemployed or worried about unemployment today is very different than having unemployment on your mind during the Great Depression. For lack of a better term, mass media simply wasn’t as massive during the great depression as it is today. Today, we are constantly being bombarded with reminders of the state of the economy, even when we are least expecting it or least ready for it. But, why all the negatively regarding the economy in the media?  Why, not more success stories of people and businesses thriving; people and businesses who are essentially spitting in the face of all the naysayers regarding the economy?

I would contend that the mass media’s concentration on negative news reports about the economy follows the overall trend and pattern of the mass media (for example, nightly news), typically concentrating on negativity as a whole. After watching the nightly news, a person may think that our society is on the brink of self-destruction. Instead of  news stories about people helping out other people, an innovative new idea or a local success story; gun violence, drug crimes and general fear dominate the news.

Alas, the question still has yet to be answered, why all the negativity in the mass media? For one, negatively seems to sell. Despite oftentimes being considered the fourth branch of government, a watchdog if you will, the media is also a business. Being a business, your favorite radio or television station is doing all it can to increase profits. Higher ratings, lead to greater add revenue, which lead to greater profit. If reporting the news in a negative, albeit skewed manner is what maximizes profits, so be it.

Most importantly, what can be done by you, the individual, the faithful reader regarding all the negativity constantly entering homes, neighborhood bbq’s, and in turn increasingly anxious minds everywhere. First, attempt to get some truly fair and balanced news regarding the economy (no, I am not talking about Fox News!). Upon hearing a negative news story, search the internet for a positive news story about the economy. These positive stories are out there, they just require some searching. Also, when negative news about the economy gets you down, think about all the reasons why you are likely to achieve gainful employment soon; you are a hard worker, experienced, enthusiastic, well spoken, etc.

In the end, this article is about controlling your own thoughts, emotions and outlook when it comes to unemployment. Not providing a radio bit, or television news story the power to change your mood at the drop of a hat. You can rise above this phenomena. Take a 360 degree viewpoint (as opposed to the narrow, negative view the majority of mass media takes)  by looking at positive economy news, in addition to reminding yourself why you are such a desirable employee! Let’s take the power back; controlling our own happiness, thoughts and feelings, as opposed to allowing Tom Brokaw the power to do so.

Patience is a virtue. Do we really live by that saying in our society? I would say we do not. We have instant coffee, instant communication, instant entertainment and instant access to a plethora of information via the internet. I am not saying all of the “instants” we are provided with in our society are a bad thing, in fact I believe in many ways it has made our lives easier.

A  university student has a research paper to write, he or she no longer needs to slept down to the library, instead all the information can likely be found online via online journals. You are meeting someone for dinner and are ten minutes late. Well, just take out your cell phone and text them, as opposed to ten years ago, where the person would be standing around for ten minutes wondering if you were on your way. However, all of these “instants” do come with a price. I would venture to say that we have become less patient as a society. From becoming frustrated by waiting in a five minute line, to feeling a sense of anxiety and frustration when a relationship takes time to develop, we often seem to expect everything to happen now, rather than later.

Which is why being unemployed now is probably much different then being unemployed during the Great Depression was. With different societies come different experiences and I would argue our “instant” society is less apt to deal with extended unemployment. The problem is, extended unemployment is currently the norm, as opposed to the exception. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in July 2009 the average unemployment duration (in weeks) was 25.1 and the median unemployment duration was 15.7 weeks (the median skewed upward due to outliers on the longer duration of the unemployment scale).

25 or 15 weeks are far from instant. So, what can be done? Remind yourself that successfully working through unemployment is a process, as opposed to an instant result. For example, the process of job searching and applying for jobs often, in addition to building connections, will probably lead to landing a job, however most likely not instantly. Derek Jeter (sorry Red Sox Fans!) was once asked what has made him so successful during his baseball career. He simply said, “I have had a lot more good days then bad.”

Look at unemployment in a similar fashion. If you have a lot of good days (regarding both mental health and job searching techniques) the end product will likely be positive. However, at the end of a week of hard work job searching it is natural and alright to feel a sense of disappointment that you have not received any call backs and that the much sought out job has not been offered yet. At this point, remind yourself that despite our currently societal norms, patience can still be a virtue.

When you are an employee, on any given day, you can lose your job through absolutely no fault of your own. It’s just business. And it’s not just people with jobs at huge, publicly-traded companies who have to think twice. Privately-owned companies and “Mom and Pops” lay off too. And remember, there’s no such thing as a civil service, or non-profit sector, “job for life” either.  I know, because I’ve been laid off twice myself during my professional Corporate America career.

The first time, I was laid off during pretty good economic times, after the fourth merger in a row of the mega bank I worked for at the time. One day it’s a “dear colleague” memo on your desk, “great news we’re merging with another mega bank to make the ultimate mega bank.” The next it’s the old “your position has been eliminated. Congratulations, you’ve been downsized due to the merger.”

The second layoff happened almost exactly a decade later. I was laid off from a fairly small private company exactly one day after I got the highest possible performance review they gave.

The first time I was laid off, it rocked my world because even though the rumors about layoffs had been swirling for awhile, I was still naïve enough in my corporate career to believe that if I worked hard enough and did the best possible work, I never needed to worry. I simply wasn’t ready to be involuntarily separated from my job. I hadn’t stopped working and moving up the corporate ladder to reach that achievement of “laid off VP of Marketing” in sixteen years, since I also worked full-time to put myself through college.

But there was a huge difference the second time around. You see during the years between my first and second layoff, I had a secret. I was leading a double life-the good employee by day, entrepreneur at night and on weekends.

It wasn’t easy working full-time while being a start-up entrepreneur on the side, but then again few things in life that are worthwhile are easy. And ultimately it was worth the sacrifice, because when job layoff number two happened out of the blue, it didn’t knock me for a loop. This time I was ready because I had a Plan B. I took my sideline business full-time without missing a beat, kissed the ground I walked on, and never looked back.  I had taken control of my livelihood and my life.

Everyone knows their own circumstances, and after being laid off, maybe you need to work full-time and be an empowered entrepreneur on the side, or maybe you can afford to make the leap and give full-time entrepreneur a try.  No matter how you look at it though, protect yourself and realize that in today’s workplace, having a “Plan B” is not just a nice to do, but a matter of survival.

Guest author Melanie Jordan is the founder of SunLover Publishing, LLC, a well-followed podcaster, and the author of several books. Check out her newest volume: “What You Know Is Worth More Than You Know™ - Achieving The Life You Were Meant To Have By Making Money From What YOU Know!“. Copyright 2009 SunLover Publishing LLC.

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I was walking down the streets of Chicago, enjoying a pleasant, but seemingly average day.  I looked up, and a sign in big letters stating, “50% off all books” was staring me in the face. Being one who can’t pass up a good deal, I decided to walk in the store and check it out.

Perusing through the store, I found a book titled “What Should I Do with My Life” by Po Bronson.  Intrigued, I read the back cover, and sure enough the book was a collection of stories (a social documentary if you will) about people who were engaging in career exploration, attempting to find career’s that fit their identity, personality and that they were passionate about. Little did I know, this book would change my life.

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Recently I have been feeling life’s expenses burn a hole in my wallet more and more. Even my modest social expenses, which are truly modest, seem to be a burden. Take it a step further and say you recently got the boot or are between jobs; the pain from your wallet would sky rocket.

I’ve thought of ways to attempt to fill in the bottomless pit my money seems to conveniently find. An extra job, working more overtime or even selling my soul - though I believe I already sold it once to pay my electric bill. One issue that always stands in the way is that I do not have a lot of free time. Those of us with regular jobs or looking for employment probably do not find the prospect of going to work after putting time in at your job (looking for a job is one in itself) very appealing. Then one day I was reading my recent issue of the Economist - see, I’m always in a financial frame of mind - and I realized that a great way to make some extra cash without excessive commitment is participating in scientific/medical research.

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Typically the end of a recession is declared by the National Bureau of Economic Research. But this time around, Fashion Meets Finance made the call.

Fashion Meets Finance (FMF) is a group that organizes mixers between men working in finance and women working in fashion. The target male for a FMF event works at Goldman, makes high six figures, and desperately wants some arm candy. The target female works at Bloomingdale’s, earns a pittance, and desperately wants a sugar daddy.

What joins the two: coke, perhaps? Usually. But with FMF, it’s a mutual superficiality that brings the groups together. The Flyer for an upcoming event says it perfectly:

THE RECESSION IS OFFICIALLY OVER! It’s not even just Goldman reporting profits.

2008 was a confusing time……The uncertainty caused panic which caused irrational decisions - there’s going to be a two year blip in the system where a hot fashion girl might commit to a pharmaceutical salesman (this is so much worse than the expected guy selling mortgages at JP Morgan Chase convincing a fashion girl he’s actually in finance).

Fashion Meets Finance has returned to let the women of fashion know that the recession is officially over. It might be a year before bonuses start inflating themselves again, but it will happen. Invest in the future; feel confident in your destiny. Hold on. It will only be a couple more years until you can quit your job and become a tennis mom.

If that doesn’t just sound like the best darn time ever, check out this testimonial!

The last FMF event I woke up in New Jersey…yet I live in Manhattan. Really, how does one manage to cross water on a Thursday night?

I can’t begin to speculate about the logistics of crossing water on a school night. But I can speculate about what happened on the other side. I bet it involved:

• An ill-fitting Magnum (just so he could say “Hey babe, can you pass me that box of Magnums?)
• 5-10 minutes in front of a large mirror
• Cash exchange
• A long, bow-legged walk back across the water (How does one manage to cross water on a Friday morning!?)

Everyone who has RSVPd is listed on the website, along with their company, title, and salary (yes, they actually listed their salaries). I took the liberty of downloading this 400-person list into Excel and would be happy to send it to anyone who is interested. Just post your email in the comments.

Personally, I intend to use this roster of Fashionistas and Financiers as my own personal blacklist.

To read Part I of this series, click here.

Research shows that societal messages and culture play a large role in how people experience unemployment and view work within their overall identity (Artazcoz, Benach, Borrell & Cortes, 2004). Men often receive the societal message that they must be the primary breadwinner in the family, and that their main family role and identity is to provide financially. However, as Luther Vandros and Janet Jackson said, “The best things in life are free.”

Use unemployment as an opportunity to expand your identity, both within your family and outside your family. Men are certainly much more then their work. For example, my identity includes a wide variety of aspects, such as a son, brother, professional counselor, friend, advocate for social justice, lifelong learner and of course, a New York Yankee fan! Use unemployment as an opportunity to become closer with your son, daughter, wife, husband, partner, mother, grandson, etc. I would venture to bet that the time you spend and love you provide to family and friends will be more valuable and cherished then any amount of Benjamin’s. 

Furthermore, unemployed individuals that engaged in solution-oriented coping techniques, such as short-term budgeting, experienced greater psychological well-being during unemployment (Waters & Moore, 2001). I know; going over a budget makes unemployment and the financial hardship that goes along with unemployment all the more real. However, short-term budgeting also makes financial situations more manageable, and therefore less stressful. Therefore, don’t be like the student that leaves his or her paper till the last minute, only to see his or her stress level rise due to the impending anxiety of the unknown.  

According to research, when unemployed it helps to pick up the phone and call a friend, volunteer and/or join an alumni organization (McKee-Ryan, Song, Wanberg & Kinicki, 2005). Keeping a daily schedule that involves both job searching and leisure activities is also shown to increase psychological well-being during unemployment (Waters & Moore, 2001). Additionally, try to think to all of the positive personality traits that you have and accomplishments you have achieved.

Think back to the adversity you have faced in the past and how you soared past that adversity. Suddenly you will begin to feel more optimistic about the future and begin to say “Yes I can!”

Greg Welikson is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education Applied Psychology Program, graduating with a Master’s of Philosophy in Professional Counseling and Psychology. The author can be reached at greg.welikson@gmail.com regarding questions, comments or for a reference list of the sources cited in the article.

I was mid-way through my last semester as a master’s degree counseling psychology student at the University of Pennsylvania. Term papers and finals were closing in. For my professional development class, in which topics such as multicultural competence in counseling, community mental health, ethical care and private practice were covered, I had to choose a term paper topic. The professor asked that our topic be important to our professional development and not have been covered extensively in class.

Just as finals and term papers were closing in, so was potential unemployment.

I had yet to find a job (and am still in job search mode!) and unemployment and psychological well-being had not been covered in class. Furthermore, with the recent economic downturn and increasing levels of unemployment, I had been working with several unemployed clients at my internship, and will likely work with unemployed clients in the future. I wanted to know what the research said, regarding the psychological effects of unemployment and also what individuals can do in order to increase their psychological well-being during unemployment.

The research results were not surprising; unemployment and psychological well-being had an inverse relationship, unemployment being correlated with decreased psychological well-being. Decreased psychological well-being included increased anxiety, increased symptoms of depression and decreased self-esteem (McKee-Ryan, Song, Wanberg & Kinicki, 2005).

However, I wish to concentrate on what can be done about the decreased psychological well-being that often results from unemployment.

First, what does the research say? Overall, unemployed individuals who have positive social support experience greater psychological well-being than unemployment individuals who do not have positive social support (McKee-Ryan, Song, Wanberg & Kinicki, 2005). Therefore, I would suggest being sure that positive social support is present in your life, especially since unemployed and employed alike, most people experience a yearning to feel a sense of connectedness with other people (a sense of connectedness that sometimes gets lost when a job is lost). Increased social support can come from a variety of sources, including friends, family, alumni associations, volunteer opportunities, professional organizations, fun extracurricular activities (such as a softball league!), etc.

Keeping a daily schedule/routine has also been shown to increase psychological well-being during unemployment, specifically through increasing self-esteem and decreasing depressed symptoms (Waters & Moore, 2001). Therefore, just because a job is no longer in the picture doesn’t mean a daily routine has to be out the window. A daily routine could include, job searching from 9 A.M. to 12 P.M, getting lunch with a friend, spouse or partner from 12 P.M. to 1 P.M., going for a jog from 1 P.M. to 2 P.M., reading a book from 2 P.M. to 3 P.M., job searching from 3 P.M. to 5 P.M. and then spending time relaxing with family and/or friends from 5 P.M. on. Obviously, the daily routine does not have to be so rigid, but you the idea. The daily routine can be looked as an opportunity to re-connect with family and friends, re-discover a new hobby and not least of which job search.

I wish to also describe an effective technique that counselors often use with clients to increase client self-esteem, known as cognitive restructuring. For instance: An unemployed 30-year-old female Caucasian client who formerly worked as a corporate lawyer (before getting laid off) comes into therapy and says that she “is a loser” because she is unemployed. The therapist could challenge the client’s assertion that she “is a loser” by pointing out to the client specific facts that she has told the therapist, such as that she always received positive performance reviews, that most attorneys at her old law firm were laid off, that she graduated from law school (an accomplishment in and of itself), and that she has been working hard by actively looking for new employment.

I believe that the above intervention is best done by a therapist, due to the unbiased perspective and professional training and experience that counselors and psychologists possess. However, it is also helpful for unemployed individuals to engage in cognitive restructuring whenever those thoughts of “I’m a loser” or “it’s completely my fault” enter the mind.

For more on Unemployment and Psychological Health, look for Part II tomorrow.

Greg Welikson is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education Applied Psychology Program, graduating with a Master’s of Philosophy in Professional Counseling and Psychology. The author can be reached at greg@thecanned.com regarding questions, comments or for a reference list of the sources cited in the article.