How to Help a Laid-Off Friend

"Though the job market remains largely healthy, a spin through LinkedIn shows that layoffs are having an effect in some sectors.

More than 250,000 tech workers have lost jobs in recent months, according to Layoffs.fyi, and some staff reductions have spread to other parts of the economy, with companies including Dow Inc., Walt Disney Co. and 3M Co. announcing cuts.

Here are tips from career coaches and people who have been through a layoff on how to show up for a friend or co-worker whose job has been cut.

Think practically

When Brian Anderson, a senior cloud technical account manager in San Antonio, saw a LinkedIn post from a co-worker who was laid off and looking for new opportunities, he wanted to offer more than sympathy. He commented on her post and tagged two recruiters he had worked with in the past, recommending that they connect.

Mr. Anderson, 46 years old, was laid off from a job in the early 2000s, and was greatly helped by people who connected him to contacts who aided his job search, he said. In one case, a contact he was introduced to referred him to somebody else, and that person was able to help him land a new role.

"Being able to give her some contacts and expand her network is going to be crucial to her getting whatever the next position is," Mr. Anderson says. "It was for me."

Reach out

People who have been laid off are likely experiencing a range of emotions, from anger to sadness to fear. Though these situations can be awkward or fraught, career advisers say former colleagues and work friends shouldn't avoid people who have been laid off.

Former colleagues often feel some sense of survivor's guilt at being spared in a round of cuts, or helplessness, so they frequently go dark or say nothing. Yet getting in touch, even in a small way, can have an impact.

David Lancefield, a London-based executive coach, recommends beginning with an email asking when is a good time to talk. Be empathetic and make clear your intent to help.

"The starting point would be to say, 'Look, I heard the news. I wanted to reach out to you as a good friend,'" he says.

Give the person time to respond when he or she is ready, and remember that person might need alone time to process their job loss.

What to say

Once you can talk, rather than asking a generic "How are you?" ask how you can best support the person, Mr. Lancefield says.

During your conversation or follow-up emails, avoid phrases such as "Any company would be lucky to have you" or "I know you'll find something soon." They can come off as dismissive about what the person is going through, Mr. Lancefield says.

Ask questions to suss out their career goals, whether they want to stay in their field or try something different, Mr. Lancefield says. Those details can allow you to help in relevant ways, such as sending specific job opportunities their way or sharing information about training or skills building.

Enlist their help

Some ground rules if you're offering introductions to people in your network. First, make sure the contact you want to introduce your colleague to is open to such an introduction and not caught off guard.

It is a good idea to ask former colleagues how they want to be introduced, says Diane Darling, author of a book on networking who has lectured at Harvard Business School and major companies. For example, do they want you to play up their management experience, or highlight their technical acumen?

It can be helpful to ask the person to send over a short description to use in the introductory email. You can also offer to write recommendations or post them on LinkedIn, touting what a hard worker the person is, and citing specific examples of big wins and tenacity, says Ms. Darling, adding that she believes such online recommendations are truly useful.

Also important, she says, is knowing when to butt out.

"I'll check in with them pretty frequently if it's a relatively close relationship," she says. "I may say to them, 'I want to check in on you. If that bugs you, let me know.'"" [1]

1. How to Help a Laid-Off Friend
Smith, Ray A.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 06 Mar 2023: A.12.