Absorbing the shock of being “fired”

It is a terrible experience, losing a job. It’s a challenge for many to think in advance about life after being fired. The problem is that the earnings, ranks and comfort at workplace sometimes keep people blind to the possibility of such shocks. I met Patrick at the Union Trade Centre (UTC) in town. He works with Rwandatel. “It’s very important to know that any time you can be sacked, mostly when you are working for someone or any company,” he said. He advised that it’s good to get prepared for that hard time ahead, although you may not be certain when it will come. Patrick related the situation to death, saying that people know that at least one day they will die, but still fear death. “It’s like when you are working for someone, the rights he has to employ you, can as well be used to sack you, no matter what it costs him or her,” he noted. Joy, who happened to join the discussion, said that it’s impossible to plan for hard times but advised on saving. She also said that although people feel bad when sacked, having a side income generating businesses would help to contain the situation. Around Kigali Business Centre popularly known as KBC, I caught up with Mercy. She said that she hates working for anyone or any company. “I do not want to work for anyone, not even a company. I want to be a boss of myself. That’s why I have started my small bookshop,” she said. Peter Habiyambere said that it’s better to work for others in search of capital to be able to come-up with personal businesses. Maybe Patrick’s comparison of a job loss to death may sound a little extreme but everyone seems to concur that though working for someone else is inevitable, one needs to prepare for the likely event of a job loss. You may not yet be able to start a personal business like Mercy and you may lose your job before you save enough for one but it’s always good to have enough to take you through two months of work. Ends