The Fear of Dismissal: A Source of Anxiety Greater Than Death for the French

Leaving a job is never easy, especially if you didn’t initiate the decision. However, being laid off is an increasingly common experience in the job market. But it remains a major source of anxiety for many employees, according to a recent survey. Anxiety or even terror. More than two thirds of French people fear being fired more than being sick or in poor health, as stated investigation conducted by the job search advice site, Zety, among 990 employees. Even more surprising, 54% of respondents said losing their job scared them more than death. While these statements may seem excessive, it is interesting to note that losing your job is less terrifying for more seasoned employees. Indeed, “only” 42% of workers with more than eleven years of professional experience are more frightened by the prospect of being unemployed than of dying.

Dismissal, a wound to self-esteem

Regardless, these results show how much of a shock losing a job is. It can be experienced as a humiliation due to the injustice suffered. Thus, three quarters of those surveyed admitted to having felt ashamed when they were informed of their dismissal. This injury to self-esteem explains why a large number of licensees do not dare to talk about it to their family and friends (70%). One might believe that individuals in more precarious professions are more likely to hide their eviction from the company from those around them, due to the financial implications of this change. But that’s not the case. The Zety survey reveals that workers with a high salary talk less about losing their job than those with lower incomes (43 versus 21%).

An identity that is built around one’s job

This difference is explained by the fact that work remains a powerful social marker, even if our societies pay more and more attention to the way in which each person spends their free time. Many people build their identity around their professional activity, which explains why the question “ what do you do in life ? » also comes up often in les conversations.

The importance given to work as a social value contributes to the emergence of two categories of individuals: active people, who are within the norm because they work, and unemployed people, who deviate from it. . They are often the target of prejudice, which harms their mental health, their self-esteem and their professional integration.

But being fired is not inevitable. This change in situation can be synonymous with renewal, especially if it allows you to leave a company in which you no longer flourish professionally. Thus, 51% of people surveyed by Zety say they felt joy after being fired. This feeling comes from the fact that the French are, on the whole, optimistic about their ability to bounce back following a layoff. Some 64% of respondents believe that this experience was a boon for their career.