The departure of a work colleague, whether they are moving on to better things, retiring, or particularly when people are being made redundant, can be very unsettling. Regular routines are upset, workloads can increase and dealing with unknown new colleagues can be daunting. It can also cause you to question yourself: should I be moving on elsewhere? Plus, I really dislike goodbyes; apart from anything else, being 6'8" can make for a very awkward farewell hug.
I think I'm quite unusual in that I have not moved jobs very often in my career; every test job I've had has lasted at least 5 years, and I've been in my current role for eight and a half. I guess I like stability. Not that there haven't been changes along the way; various restructures, people changing career path and unexpected life events have all played a part in causing the occasional reshuffling of the team.
So when you lose three colleagues in as many weeks (I know - losing one is a misfortune, losing three is beginning to look like carelessness) you do need to pause and collect your thoughts. Fortunately I have a very supportive manager who was happy to have a frank discussion about my future - I appreciate not everyone is that lucky but it certainly helped qualm my fears and I would thoroughly recommend getting things out in the open as much as possible.
When you do get new colleagues (either replacements or when a team is expanding) it can also bring new opportunities - the need to get them up to speed (I resist the term "on-boarding" since I'm not cabin crew) is ideal for developing your coaching/mentoring skills. It's also a chance to look at your processes with a fresh eye; what may seem like radical changes to you will just be normal to someone who hasn't had exposure to your previous ways of working.
Staffing changes are a natural part of a working life, and while they can be disruptive they don't need to be disastrous. Use them as an opportunity to regroup, start afresh and update your skills and processes; if you manage to make enough positive change it will feel as though you have moved job yourself.
I think I'm quite unusual in that I have not moved jobs very often in my career; every test job I've had has lasted at least 5 years, and I've been in my current role for eight and a half. I guess I like stability. Not that there haven't been changes along the way; various restructures, people changing career path and unexpected life events have all played a part in causing the occasional reshuffling of the team.
So when you lose three colleagues in as many weeks (I know - losing one is a misfortune, losing three is beginning to look like carelessness) you do need to pause and collect your thoughts. Fortunately I have a very supportive manager who was happy to have a frank discussion about my future - I appreciate not everyone is that lucky but it certainly helped qualm my fears and I would thoroughly recommend getting things out in the open as much as possible.
When you do get new colleagues (either replacements or when a team is expanding) it can also bring new opportunities - the need to get them up to speed (I resist the term "on-boarding" since I'm not cabin crew) is ideal for developing your coaching/mentoring skills. It's also a chance to look at your processes with a fresh eye; what may seem like radical changes to you will just be normal to someone who hasn't had exposure to your previous ways of working.
Staffing changes are a natural part of a working life, and while they can be disruptive they don't need to be disastrous. Use them as an opportunity to regroup, start afresh and update your skills and processes; if you manage to make enough positive change it will feel as though you have moved job yourself.
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