When change is the only constant, adaptability equals survival, and panic can kill.

TODAY:

If you, like so many others, have just lost your job or had your hours cut, you probably hit panic- mode pretty quickly, maybe you raced down to line up at Centrelink, or you’ve had them on redial, trying to get through. Maybe you raced to supermarket to buy as much as you can while you still have money in the bank, or maybe you just sat down and cried. We all react differently, but in some ways the same – involuntary job loss and threat of job loss creates high stress levels, and the first thing you need to do is stop, breathe, and find a way to think and act productively.

So, take three deep breaths, hold each breath for 4-5 seconds, and release it slowly. Close your eyes while you do it. If you still feel panicked, try again but with your eyes open, chin up, chest out, and standing in a superhero pose while you do it. Seriously, find your centre, find some calm, slow down and start building a real plan. Next, talk with your adult family and members of your household, make sure everyone else is calm and managing ok, then talk to your kids about changes to schooling, about the things they are seeing on TV and hearing online or at school, and talk to them about how some things will change at home too – maybe it’s that they’re not going to school anymore (if they’re in Victoria, or vulnerable) or maybe that Mum and Dad will be home more, and that going to play with friends isn’t the right thing to do at the moment. Ground yourself in the most important things in your life and the panic will ease itself.

It’s not fair – it’s really not a fair situation. Nobody asked for this virus, nobody asked for any of it – I agree with you 100%. The only consolation is that - worldwide - everyone’s lives have been turned upside down at relatively the same moment. Lamenting on the unfairness won’t help. Cursing the government for seeming to help some individuals more than others won’t help either (there are genuine reasons why this happens, but this isn’t the place for that discussion).

DAYS 1-7:

So, what will help? Start with being as socially responsible as possible – STAY HOME. Supermarkets are staying open, and they have purchase limits, so whatever day or time you do go there, they will have most of the things you need – no more hoarding Australia. Centrelink phone and online services are running; they are frustrating and difficult at times – but they are running. Just know there will be extended hold periods, know there will be delays once you start. You can do your part to minimise it by being prepared*:

1. Have your last two years tax returns ready, your last couple of months of payslips, and download your bank statements to show the drop in income.

2. ID (passport/Birth certificate, driver’s licence, Medicare card, and a bank card will be enough).

3. If your employment has been terminated, request a separation certificate (these can be downloaded from: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/forms/su001 ). Send this to your employer and ask that they complete it and return it to you as soon as they can.

4. If your employment has not been terminated, but you have significantly reduced hours, you will need a letter from your employer advising these details.

5. Take photos of each of these documents on your phone, and upload them direct to Centrelink via mygov, or at https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/. If you can’t get online or can’t get through on the phone yet, be patient. Go do something else for 10 minutes, or for two hours, and try again. Stay calm, the new payments won’t be rolled out for weeks yet, eligibility is almost wide-open, and waiting periods to claim are gone. Your turn will come, and every time the line is busy, that’s one more fellow Australian whose gotten some support, and one more move up the queue for you. Your turn will come.

*If you already receive one of the below-listed payments then please move to the next paragraph – you will automatically get the additional assistance as the payments start rolling out and contacting services Australia to confirm this is only contributing to the logjam of enquiries.

• JobSeeker Payment

• Youth Allowance for job seekers

• Youth Allowance for students

• Austudy for students

• ABSTUDY for students

• Parenting Payment

• Farm Household Allowance

• Special Benefit

Ok, next: Go over your budget – many major banks are offering a freeze on mortgage repayments, your entertainment and eating out expenses are going to drop, but your supermarket/grocery expenses will go up a little, try to be honest with yourself about how much this will change, look up item prices online to get a realistic figure. If you are practicing safe social distancing, then your petrol/public transport costs will reduce, your weekly trip to the cinema is gone, Friday drinks after work are now - at best – a glass or two at home (at bottle shop prices instead of the $10+ per drink at the trendy bar down the street from work).

Check your current pantry/freezer stocks and get creative – all of a sudden that 3 year old tin of peaches and that packet of frozen pastry looks like it could make a decent desert, and that frozen meatloaf you’ve been avoiding in the back of the freezer looks like it will feed the family just nicely tomorrow night. If you’re not much of a cook – there are heaps of TV and online resources available, or just make it another of the many great reasons to call your parents and grandparents, I’m sure they’d love to share recipes and tips for both the kitchen and for saving money and living on less.

Check your first aid supplies, and any regular medications needed within your household too. If you can get through two weeks with what you’ve got, awesome; if not make a thorough list of what you need (only what you need) to combine to your shopping list.

When you go out to get what you need, follow all of the recommended guidelines on social distancing and hygiene, and when you get home think of yourself as having been in contact with the virus and act appropriately (wash hands, face, and other exposed skin, change clothes and put the dirty ones straight in the wash, etc).

DAYS 8-21:

Ok, you should now be able to survive at least the next few days, if not the next few weeks. Now start some more forward planning. If this virus remains active in the country for 2, 3, 6 months (as predicted) how can you get back to earning money? Will your job become available again eventually, or will it be gone for good? Which of the changes brought about this virus will be temporary, and which will be permanent? The truth is nobody knows for sure. There is no precedent for this - there are predictions and likelihoods, but nothing is certain. For now, let’s focus on some likelihoods:

1. It’s likely to be at least 6 months before things look anything close to ‘normal’.

2. Some job roles will increase in number at least during those 6 months, some indefinitely. These include government roles, healthcare roles, supermarket staff, delivery/supply chain, and of course, technology. The world is going almost fully online RIGHT NOW, this moment is monumental in human history. It is the new Industrial Revolution; the Technological Revolution has begun. If you already have skills and experience in these areas, AWESOME!!! Seriously, you may be in the first or second wave of new appointments, and I sincerely congratulate you; keeping as many Aussies in the workforce as possible is vital to our country’s eventual recovery. Especially to our healthcare providers – thank you, thank you, thank you. There are no words to convey my respect and gratitude to you right now.

3. If securing new employment is going to be a challenge for you, then start working on the new skills you will need to gain employment in the weeks and months to come. There will be a lot of competition for jobs, so prepare yourself as much as possible. Do online courses, use YouTube tutorials, ask your kids or your nieces and nephews for some tech tips, learn about Microsoft Teams, and Zoom, and webinars. Learn to code, or learn to use your excellent face to face communication skills to sell things over the phone. Especially important, is to practice your job interview skills for phone and video interviews – these are no longer ‘the future of job applications’, they are happening now and will be for a very long time (subscribe to our newlsettler/blog at impressiveCV.com for tips – my next post in in 2-3 days will have lists and links to available jobs, and to relevant education and training opportunities).

4. Update your CV and make sure it is as competitive as possible (another shameless plug for Impressive CV here – this is what we do, and we really can help you).

5. Look at ways you can really start to reduce your expenditure long-term – can you grow vegetables in your yard, or herbs in a window-planter – smaller investments in these ideas now might be a game-changer in a few months. Can you learn to sew to alter your clothes as needed? Do you really need to keep colouring your hair, or wearing a full-face of makeup every day? Can you learn to fix that squeaky hinge yourself, or to change the spark plug in your lawnmower? What many of us have now, that we didn’t before, is time – use it to learn how to change careers, and how to save money.

Good luck everyone – stay home and stay safe.

Written by Stacey Whitelaw.