10 things to do to be prepared for redundancy:

1) Stay Positive

If 10% of the workforce are to be laid off, then you have a 90% chance of keeping your job. If you are made redundant, the redundancy package may be generous enough to finance your own start up, doing exactly the project that you have been trying to get management to buy into for years. Or you may now be able to finally go after the dream career you have always wanted. Perhaps you have been reluctant to take the risk in the past, or your significant other has been wary of your dream being able to support your lifestyles. Well, redundancy will take the choice away from the two of you, and now you are free to follow the career you really want, rather than stay stuck in a career you chose (or didn't choose) years ago.

2) Make a realistic plan

Look at where you would ideally like to be in six months, in terms of place, job, income, spare time and possibly even employer. Will you be there if you are made redundant? What do you need to do to ensure your success. Map it out, and start doing it, irrespective of whether you are laid off or not.

3) Get out of debt (and be frugal)

Only debts that will earn you more than they cost are worth having - like a mortgage on the house you are living in now. If at all possible, get out of debt, and stay out of debt. That means living within your means - do not purchase things you do not need. Make certain that you are not using your credit card to finance any purchases at all. If you really cannot clear all your debts before the redundancy is due to land, then as a last resort, consolidate all your loans into one, and put it into your house mortgage. This is usually the cheapest loan you can have, and the last that the bank is likely to foreclose on. Talk to the bank in advance of any problem with your mortgage repayment and agree on an arrangement that will work for you - do not wait till you cannot make a payment. Do not rely on the redundancy package to clear your debts for you. You may need it for living expenses, job hunting travel outside of your home base, to fund your business start up, or retraining for a new career.

4) Know your statutory rights

Be sure that you are aware of what you are legally entitled to receive as severance pay: The number of years you have been employed by this employer, your salary, age and any other factors that might be taken into consideration to calculate your employers legal obligations in your redundancy package. If you are a migrant worker, be sure that you are fully aware of your entitlements and also of your own obligations in the terms of your work visa. Will you be entitled to remain in the country and seek employment? For how long? Is your employer obliged to pay for your repatriation?

5) Know what your employment contract states

Dig out your work contract of employment and re-read it (assuming you read it when you signed it). If there is anything that is unclear, ambiguous or that you do not understand, get clarification from your employer. Get advice from the local unemployment or social welfare office if you are not completely satisfied that you understand and agree with all the terms of the contract, and particularly the terms of severance or termination of contract. Be aware that you cannot sign away your statutory rights in your employment contract. Both you and your employer are still obliged to obey the laws of the country in which you are employed.

6) Check your unemployment insurance

Make sure that you have unemployment insurance, and that you understand exactly what you will receive, starting when, and for how long.

7) Talk to your family and friends

Make them aware of your concerns, and get them to help and support you with your new frugal lifestyle, debt elimination, job hunting and potential career change.

8) Get your resume/CV up to date

Your CV or resume is an important tool in your job hunting arsenal. Rewrite it from scratch, and make sure it reflects your enthusiasm for the career you want to have. Make sure it is not a list of job titles and job descriptions that will not differentiate you from the billions of other CVs and resumes already posted on the internet and filed away in never-to-be-searched archives.

9) Think about alternative jobs/careers

If this industry is in decline, or you are not doing what you care about, then this is your golden opportunity to change career. No more excuses about how secure your job is and how risky it would be to make a career change. You are now well aware of the fallacy of job security.

10) Know that it is not the end of the world

It is very important to be realistic in assessing the likelihood that you will be made redundant. Do not get into a panic. Do not burn yourself out trying to make yourself indispensable or to make up for past inadequacies (real or imaginary!) in your work. Having survived two rounds of redundancies, and then being laid off in the third, I can assure you that your own performance will probably have little or no influence on the management decision making process (or what passes for such). The projects you are working on may be considered strategic, but may be "overstaffed". It may be based on "last in - first out", years of experience, favoritism, department, all or none of the above.

Things you should do are:

a) Maintain (at least the appearance of) your normal work

b) Avoid contributing to gossip and rumors

c) Make useful suggestions for improving morale, profitability, efficiency...

These may have some positive effect on you avoiding the axe, but at least you might get away with a good reference, and possibly postpone the doom of your workmates who stay employed.

What to do if the axe falls

"Always look on the bright side of life." In the immortal words of Monty Python (from "The Life of Brian" - one of the best reflections on humanity ever stored on celluloid) the trick is to find a positive perspective. A lot worse things could happen to you than losing your job. Yes, it is terribly scary, makes you feel worthless, resentful, angry, depressed, lonely, and a whole lot more. But try to put yourself in the shoes of the person who is having to to lay you off. Unless you have an absolutely nasty horrible vindictive evil manager (in which case redundancy ought to be a relief!) then you have to feel some empathy for her (or him).

When I was made redundant, my manager had already had to lay off two people that morning, face to face, and then wait several hours for me to call in. She was devastated, and I felt really terrible for her. For me the months of stressful waiting were finally over, and although I was not thrilled to be unemployed, I had to admit that the future was not all dark. I was looking forward to my wedding in a few months, which I felt was a positive thing, but she seemed to feel even worse for. That is the funny thing about your point of view - good news can seem bad, or vice versa, depending on where you are sitting. Storm clouds can fill you with dread, or alternatively offer you your best hope of survival.

Redundancy is the best opportunity you will ever have to start again. Choose the right career, work in the job that fits you like a glove, live the life you deserve, be the person you were always meant to be. Alternatively, take a little break and blow the redundancy check, live on the dole/unemployment benefit for a while, just sit and think, or just sit. YOU are now in control of your time. You always have been actually, but you possibly didn't realize it until now.