Fired Due to Disability? How to Reclaim Your Employment Power

Losing your job is extremely stressful. Even more so when losing your job because of a disability. It can be overwhelming, fueled by feelings of fear and anxiety. It is not only a financial loss but often it affects your confidence and you question your self-worth. There is light at the end of the tunnel and ways to remain calm.

What matters now is how you handle your job loss and with perseverance, you are able to take control of your situation and maintain your positivity in life with a renewed sense of purpose. Consider this as the moment when you refuse to be a victim instead you stand tall and proud and reclaim your employment power.

Disability and Your Rights

A work injury is described as a medical condition or disease that is caused by a person’s job. In addition, it also includes occupational diseases and pre-existing conditions that are aggravated by a person’s job. You will need someone on your side if you were fired because of your disability which happened at your workplace. It would be best to seek assistance from an experienced employment lawyer.

When hiring a lawyer, complete transparency about your disability, health issues, household or family members is crucial. Transparency is key for the lawyer to understand your situation and he/she will be able to guide you through the legal process. The legal process can be frustrating and time-consuming and it would be best to meet with the lawyer as early in the process to know what your legal options are. 

Stay Focussed 

In the employment sphere, people are fired all the time.  When you lose your job you become emotionally and physically out of sync with yourself. This is a natural reaction. Stress levels increase in not having an income and reality set in of not being able to pay your bills. 

Stop and take stock of the situation, you must decide if you want to remain a victim or rise above the situation. Be kind to yourself and accept your job loss as a temporary setback. We all have experienced a setback at some time in life, and most people have the tenacity to bounce back. Learning from the experience and remaining positive is important and putting an action plan in place to resolve the issue or finding another job opportunity is key.

Take Care Of Yourself 

It is extremely easy to indulge in self-pity when losing your job. Laying around the house with the remote in one hand and unhealthy snacks on the side table could become second nature. Build your emotional strength with physical well being and become resilient. Be intentional to be in survival mode by taking care of yourself emotionally and physically. Manage your mind and nurture your soul to find a solution to your challenge.

Continue to do things you love or start a new hobby. More importantly, keep busy. Meditate for at least 10 minutes per day. Over time meditation helps you to keep calm and centered. Don’t allow yourself to become frustrated. When the feeling of frustration surfaces, snap out of it by doing something positive. Allow a sense of gratitude to feed your being and in turn, it feeds you with inner peace.

Communicate With Family

It is so important to actively deal with your feelings in a healthy way because unemployment affects the whole family. Your actions, be it positive or negative could easily affect your family. Now is a perfect time to lean on each other. In times such as this, the family bond is strengthened. Your family’s support can help you survive and thrive, even during this difficult time. 

Keep them in the loop about your lawyer visits and possible job interviews. Discuss how you can support each other. Young children are sensitive to their parents' emotions and they have a tendency to think the worst when things go wrong in the household. Children need to feel as if they are part of a solution. Include them in decision making and allowing them to feel part of the team by taking a cut in their allowance or getting an after school job.

Tap Into Your Network 

Networking is an effective way of searching for a job. The goal is to gather the information that helps you make a choice for your next career move. Reach out to people who can introduce you and who have connections and are able to assist you to find a new job. Emotions are contagious. People’s perceptions of you most times have an impact on your attitude towards yourself and on your outlook of life 

For multiple reasons, it is important to surround yourself with people who are positive and like-minded. For now, your job is to find a new job. Potential employers will be attracted to people who have proven competence, their ability to be positive and confident despite a setback of job loss.

Volunteer 

It must really sound crazy to volunteer, to work for free when you have just lost a paid job. Being undervalued at your job and worse being fired for being disabled could be a huge dent in your self-confidence. Helping others in any way can remind you of your value and boost your self-esteem. Volunteering should be seen as an opportunity to expand your network to potential opportunities. 

Volunteer in something you are passionate about and it would be a good idea to add it to your resume. It is rather hard to validate that you are passionate about something and you aren’t spending time doing it. Potential employees would view you as having a growth mindset, and spending your time proactively and that you are not limited to job-related skills.