COACHING THROUGH FURLOUGH

Your diary whilst on furlough? Photo created by freepik - www.freepik.com

In the UK like many countries across the world, the government has introduced a job retention scheme to support organisations through the Covid crisis. Companies can furlough employees (meaning they continue to be employed but are not able to work for the organisation) and apply for a grant that covers 80% of their usual monthly wage costs. To date, around 1.1 million organisations have made use of the scheme, across 8.7 million employees. 

Since the scheme started, the word furlough has rapidly become part of our everyday language, with the associated memes and jokes, although prior to this it wasn’t a familiar term; the word furlough was used until at least 1908 to describe military personnel home on leave. 

Naturally, the subject of furlough began to come up in my conversations with organisations as well as with coachees. It is a completely new concept for most of us, with many wondering how it is even pronounced (thur-LOW? thur-loff? THUR-low?) and how to conjugate it (are you on furlough/ in furlough? Is there such a word as furloughed?). There is almost as much uncertainty around the naming of this concept as there is around what being furloughed actually means. A bit of googling later, and it struck me that there was a lot of information available about the practicalities of the scheme (who qualifies, how to apply etc.), but very little about the emotional impact being furloughed is having on individuals (both those on furlough, and those remaining at work within organisations) and teams, and how to support them through this disconcerting period.

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO BE ON FURLOUGH?

To further explore what it actually feels like to be on furlough, I carried out a short survey. The responses to my survey, alongside coaching conversations with those impacted by furlough, have given me insight into what is going on for people emotionally, and where they need support.

The range of emotions that people may feel when they are on furlough is vast, and likened by respondents to a roller-coaster:

• Guilt. “Like I had abandoned the ship”, “guilty for those who were still working and having to juggle work and family life”

• Anxiety. “What will the future hold? Will I still have a job?”

• Relief. “I feel relieved and really lucky to be able to spend time with the kids." "Juggling work and kids at home was killing me”

• Happiness. “I am basically being paid to sunbathe and decorate my house!”

• Worry. “What if they realise they can manage without me?” “How will I manage on only 80% of my salary?”

There was one predominant sensation that, unsurprisingly, more than 90% of people said they were feeling: uncertainty. Clearly, we are living through a time of huge uncertainty anyway, as the world faces this pandemic head on. Being on furlough adds an additional layer of the unknown into this already complex situation. Helping individuals and organisations acknowledge and then navigate this uncertainty is critical. As one survey respondent said:

“It’s not the furlough itself that’s hard to manage, more feelings about a very uncertain future (if you are on furlough then your company is having a very hard time and may not survive) and a total lack of control about what to do to prepare…”

THE IMPACT OF UNCERTAINTY

Why does the uncertainty that being on furlough brings have such a huge impact on us?

As humans we crave certainty and it is hard wired into our brains.  Collecting data from the world around us by taking millions of pieces of information and making sense of them by creating patterns, our brain works a bit like a prediction machine, and it does so to keep us safe. This is one of our most primitive brain functions.

When we can't be certain of the outcome of a situation, an alert goes to our brain saying, “pay more attention!” and a threat response happens in a part of the brain called the amygdala. We usually refer to this as “fight or flight”. Our body and brain goes into high alert. It searches for information to make sense of things. It is the reason why you may, like me, have become addicted to news updates, searching for answers and information, and why you may feel tight and anxious. The slightest thing might make you jump. And being furloughed can add even more uncertainty to this difficult to predict world.

NORMALISING FEELINGS

When asked what advice would you give to someone on furlough, I was particularly touched by one of the responses:

“Accept whatever feelings it brings up, emotional, physical & recognise it's normal & others will most probably be feeling the same. You're not alone.”

It is important to recognise that everyone's journey through furlough is completely unique. No two sets of circumstances are the same. However it is possible to acknowledge and give some perspective on why people might be feeling a certain way and to help normalise those feelings. To support this I often use the Change Curve model in my coaching sessions. Developed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, she set out a series of stages she saw as normal reactions or coping mechanisms that we need to move through in order to manage change.

We don't move through the stages neatly or necessarily step-by-step, rather it is non-linear journey, where we can jump back and forth, and may not go thorough all the feelings in the model. I find sharing this framework brings some relief to coachees; knowing that if you have a sense of denial or frustration about being on furlough, that these are normal reactions to change, and that you are not alone. It also helps to name the feelings that are taking place and identify where are you on the curve. Recognising and acknowledging what you are feeling, knowing that its “OK”, and that others will feel this way too can help to understand our own and other’s reactions to furlough. 

A SENSE OF CONTROL

The Covid crisis has created a cognitive overload for many of us as we experience this time of extreme uncertainty and change. Being on furlough and no longer having the structure and purpose that work brings can make us feel even further out of control. "I am finding it increasingly hard to keep a sense of structure" said one survey respondent. It is important to maintain a sense of personal agency, and one model I like to use to focus on this is the Circle of Control. 

This model was originally developed by Steven Covey, and is comprised of 2 concentric circles. On the outside, the larger circle, our circle of concern, includes everything we are concerned about and in usual circumstances this might include the weather, world peace, our manager's decisions. With Covid this circle of concern has been extended to include things like toilet roll hoarding and how many people are sitting in next doors garden having a BBQ. Many of these are completely out of our control, and now more than ever if we focus on them, they can create feelings of helplessness and overwhelm. 

In contrast, our circle of influence is the smaller circle in the centre, and this focuses on what we do have influence and/ or control over. If we can be proactive and focus on our circle of influence and the aspects we have direct impact on, we can reduce worry and feel more empowered, and in time create new more helpful habits and connections in our brains.

Our human negativity bias (eg dwelling on the one unkind comment and ignoring the half dozen compliments) can go into overdrive in uncertain times. But we can drown it out by learning to bulk up that circle of influence until anxiety or distress is a background noise we can deal with.

The diagram shown here is an adaptation of the circle of influence model specific to the current crisis and I have found it particularly useful with coachees when thinking about our circle of influence when on furlough.

FINDING THE POSITIVE LEARNINGS

No matter how tough being on furlough may feel, there will be some positives. As one survey respondent said 

"I have felt quite up and down in terms of being productive and adapting. I am trying to be positive and make the best of the situation."

It can be useful to explore what the learnings about ourselves from time on furlough. I love this reflection window (developed by Cat Hase at Imagine If) as a way to explore what we should let go of and what we should keep, both from the pre-furlough world "old way" and the post or during furlough "new way". 

THE END OF FURLOUGH…

As step-by-step the world starts to open back up again, thoughts also turn to returning to work. When asked “when you think about returning to work, what would be helpful for you?”, the breadth of answers was wide, highlighting how much an individuals circumstances as well as their personal style will impact their outlook. Responses ranged from

“nothing really, I feel ready now. I know it will be like after a holiday…, within a day it will all become normal again” to “plenty of notice- I need to get myself back in gear” and “there is so much to sort out - childcare, even how I can get to work safely”. 

Support will be required as people go back through the emotions of the change curve as they return to work. 

It is also important to open up a space to consider the “what if”. As one survey respondent pointed out, the reason that people are on furlough is due to the fact that their organisation is finding these times difficult. There will be changes to organisational structures, to people’s roles and to the very heart of what organisations do. Some companies won’t make it through the crisis at all. One response to my survey really struck me “

What if they realise they can manage perfectly well without this little cog once gone?”. 

Redundancy is a real possibility. 

Opening up conversations in a positive way about new and different possibilities that can they proactively consider and prepare for is important. I like to explore a persons values and strengths to find their unique “superpower” as a way to frame their essence and where their energy comes from, as a starting point to consider what a new role or career could look like.

TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF

For me the most important conversation in my coaching sessions with those on furlough is about taking care of yourself. We are in the middle of a global pandemic. Being on furlough is an additional change on top of a hugely uncertain, shifting world right now. There is no need for high expectations, it is important allow yourself to be human and to be kind to yourself. The novelist and journalist Matt Haig sums this up perfectly:

“You don’t always have to do stuff. Or achieve stuff. You don’t have to spend your time wisely or productively. You don’t have to be doing Tai Chi or DIY or artisan bread making. Sometimes you can just be and feel things and get through and survive and that is more than enough”

For more information on the individual and group coaching I offer during furlough, support for those returning from furlough, and for those navigating redundancy, please contact me at claire@fireflypeopledevelopment.com