“Season’s greetings” aren’t as cheery when it’s a season of layoffs.
November marked the eighth time this year that job cuts were up over the same period the year before, according to research from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. To make matters worse, hiring in November was down 35% from 2024, marking the lowest year-to-date total since 2010.
News about the current labor market can be unnerving—even more so when layoffs are hitting your company. Being prepared can help make it less so. And one group of people knows more about that than most.
A page out of the prepper book
The word prepper may bring to mind images of shows like Doomsday Preppers, in which people stockpile food, water, weapons, and supplies in anticipation of apocalyptic events. However, most preppers are simply people who want to have some basic essentials or plan in place just in case.
In fact, the last Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Preparedness Report found that more than half of U.S. adults (55%) had taken 3 or more of the 12 preparedness steps, like making a plan, gathering supplies, and securing documents.
It’s not that different from preparing for a layoff, says organizational psychologist Melissa Doman.
“Going through an unexpected layoff is a form of a temporary ‘doomsday’ for some people. They didn’t expect it, they can’t control it, and they don’t know how long it’s going to last,” she says.
