Ever so often, I remember the emotional distress that comes with a redundancy. Though I embraced the unknown with curiosity, there is a point when the reality of not knowing what’s ahead frightens you. It’s at that point that the clichéd reassurance that “you are not being made redundant, it’s your job that’s being made redundant” is ineffective. I am my job. I carry out its duties. I organise my waking seconds, hours, weeks, months and years to perform its functions and go to bed at night thinking how to improve its delivery. Not everyone is adversely affected, but many people feel as though they are unable to recover. Some even go through the motions of donning the uniform to sit in a parking lot. The true threat? The point at which you encounter the gap between your job routine and … nothing. It is crucial to empathise with those who are going through this negative experience. A word of encouragement, a random phone call or just being available through the pain. Can you review a CV or put in a referral? Can you show them how valuable their skills are? Monetary compensation is not enough if they are distressed about their inability to contribute to that cherished organisational vision.