8 things to do during furlough

So many words popped into our vernacular recently that I would like to distance myself from. Pandemic, social distancing and shelter-in-place to name a few. 

Now, ever-increasingly ‘layoff’ and ‘furlough’ are ready announcements to our family and friends.

Roughly 16 million Americans filed for unemployment, according to the U.S. Department of Labor since April 4. 

While a furlough is preferable over a layoff for several reasons, like maintaining health benefits and perhaps 401(K) contributions, it is also the messy middle.

You may be asking yourself: Will I eventually be laid off? When will I return to work?

So, how do you spend your time in the whirlwind of questions and unknowns? First things, first:

Take it in

We are in an unprecedented time. All of us are facing challenges in our personal and professional lives that we’ve never dealt with before. So name and sit in your feelings. Shock, grief, and even panic. Whatever it is, give yourself a moment upon receiving the news of your furlough. Then:

Assess your finances

With the uncertainty of the full impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, you could be out of work for four weeks or four months. No one knows right now.

Personal Finances

If you are already living paycheck-to-paycheck, there will likely be some impact on your finances. So the first thing you should do is adjust your lifestyle to fit your new financial reality…at least temporarily. Conserve as much cash as you can.

Make a list of your current expenses and see what you can cut out. Determine which of your current monthly expenses must be maintained (mortgage and car payments, utilities, groceries) and which ones you can do without for now. The sooner you make these adjustments, the better off you will be.

Company Resources

When you were furloughed, your company may have provided information about the benefits you have access to. If your company is continuing to pay part or all of your salary while you’re at home, that should be specified in the information you were given. 

Likewise, if you are not being paid, you may be able to access accrued vacation or sick pay. If you have company-provided healthcare, find out if your company will continue to pay your premiums while you are unemployed. (Otherwise, you will need to secure temporary health care coverage.)

File for unemployment

File for unemployment immediately after receiving the news of your furlough.

The unemployment insurance system (UI) is a partnership of the federal government and state programs. Created in 1935, contributions are paid into the system on behalf of workers so they have an income if they lose their jobs.

Check and see if your state offers an unemployment benefits calculator. A simple Google search can identify if one is available. There are two types of unemployment calculators — one that tells you how much money you are entitled to collect, and another which tells you how many weeks you are eligible to collect unemployment.

You must meet eligibility requirements, but you can determine these from your state’s unemployment office. You may even be eligible for benefits (even partial benefits) if you work part-time.

Regular unemployment insurance benefits — in most states — run for 26 weeks (plus one unpaid “waiting week”). The average unemployment benefits nationwide was $387 per week in February 2020, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The maximum state-provided weekly benefit ranges from $215 in Mississippi to $550 in Massachusetts.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) also provides supplemental unemployment compensation. The law provides emergency funding to states to provide an additional $600 a week in payments — on top of regular weekly payments.

File your claim for benefits as soon as you can. Remember that you will have to request benefits every week you want payment, even if your application is still pending initial approval. 

File your claim weekly during your furlough. Although many claims are paid within a few business days, it may take 2-3 weeks for your first unemployment check to arrive in your account via direct deposit.

Out of Office

Once you have the necessary logistics settled, focus on how you will spend your time away from the office. Apart from Netflix binges and championing schooling for your kids, consider activities to bolster your personal and professional development:

Do internal work

Take time to reflect. Who are you apart from your job? 

Our day-to-day demands can suck us in and we lose ourselves among the chaos. Consider conducting a personal SWOT analysis. Reflect on questions like:

• What are my advantages?

• What do I do well?

• What do other people see as my strengths? 

• How can I improve?  

• Where are the positive opportunities that face me? 

• What are the interesting trends I am aware of? 

• What obstacles do I face? (COVID-19 is an obvious one!)

Update your career documents

Blow the digital dust off your resume and LinkedIn profile and wake up your snooze-worthy documents with compelling content.

Update and modernize your resume and LinkedIn profile by infusing your unique value (e.g. your personal brand) into each and transform your boring list of job duties into accomplishments.

Think through how you’ve made your organization stronger, more efficient and/or profitable.

Use the C.A.R. framework to nail down specific deliverable results. Identify the challenges you’ve faced, the actions you took to address the problem and the result of your efforts for each for your experiences. Then, articulate them in your resume and LinkedIn profile.

Hone your skills

Focus on personal development. Are there skills you can work on developing?

Take advantage of the opportunities to take online classes for free. For example, the eight Ivy League universities are offering hundreds of online courses to the public at no charge. 

Many other course platforms are making courses available online for free or low cost.

Check out:

•    ClassCentral.com

•    Coursera

•    edX

•    Rosetta Stone

•    Alison

With many of the free courses, you can also secure certification for an additional fee, which you can add to your resume.

Network

Check-In with your people

Now more than ever is a natural time to check-in and nurture your professional network. Write a quick email or schedule a video chat to check-in with family, friends and colleagues.

You can also give the gift of words and connect that way, too. Boost a current or past colleague’s spirits and career trajectory by writing them a LinkedIn recommendation. 

With recommendations, you are three times more likely to be contacted on LinkedIn than someone without one. And you rank higher in search results. 

So, tell a compelling story about a particular project, accomplishment or skill of your colleague.

Make New Connections

Besides checking in with your current network, it is a great time to expand your network as well. LinkedIn is your best bud for this! It’s as easy as commenting on content written by leaders in your industry or connecting with like-minded professionals. Then, take it to real time via phone or video.

Set up your space

Virtual networking chats are a bit more complex than just adding coffee, like an in-person meet-up. Ensure your technology is on-point with your camera at the right height and your Wi-Fi on the ready.

Lighting is important, too. If your space is a bit dark, buy a selfie ring light, like this one, to clip to your laptop that retails on Amazon for approximately $10-$15.

Lastly, find a spot in your home that is free of distraction, which is easier said than done these days. If you want to guarantee noise isn’t an issue for video conferencing, download the noise-canceling app, Krisp, for free (120-240 minutes per week).

No matter your activity…

Be gracious with yourself. Days can ebb and flow with a range of emotions and productivity. Take heart! We really are #inthistogether.