Taking Care

The answer to burnout and crisis recovery isn’t self care; it’s community care. To the best of your ability, allow yourself to care for others AND be cared for.

Mutual Aid

Mutual Aid Hub https://www.mutualaidhub.org is a site that helps you find Mutual Aid networks and pantries.

If federal employees form a mutual aid network for current and fired employees and those fired, not only can people survive layoffs, but everyone will have a better safety net to take action and make decisions with more confidence

How to Create A Mutual Aid Network

https://afsc.org/news/how-create-mutual-aid-network

  1. Plan with your professional network: Talk to colleagues/union reps IN ADVANCE about what to do if you’re fired. Print off/digitally offload your performance reviews before records are altered. Keep several copies.
  2. Home is a resource: Consider having weekly group meetings in your homes to process, grieve, and figure out next steps together. Churches have home groups, so can you.
  3. Plan with your personal network: Find out who your friends are. Who is there for you if you can’t make rent, can’t buy groceries, need a place to move in? Can you be there for others? How so? Now is the time to have DIRECT conversations.

Protecting Each Other

  • Share tips and resources (like these) with others. Do not just protect yourself and assume everyone else is doing the same.
  • To front office/leadership: You may be doing the leg-work to lay yourself off as part of a future RIF. Be clear to yourself about this and ask yourself what you would want someone else to be doing for you, were they in your position.
  • Managers: Consider if you can document—in writing—the performance of your supervisees. Many individuals are being terminated for “performance reasons”. Even if this does not overturn the firing - it is a decent thing to do. Make it clear to your supervisee that the decision was made despite you or without you.
  • Especially relevant for Front office/Leadership, but generally for everyone: take regular detailed notes in every meeting. If you are uncomfortable doing so, take those notes immediately after the meeting ends in private.
  • Front office/Leadership: Try to ask for waivers, do all of the hoops and jumps to get a waiver - even if the denial rate is high.
  • Front office/Leadership: You may not be able to modify language you are given and told to distribute, but perhaps you can add to it… Add to all of your communications that the agency will follow the law and that the law respecting collective bargaining agreements will be followed.
  • Front office/Leadership/Managers: please acknowledge the reality. Hold meetings even if the only thing you say in those meetings is “I can’t give you any answers or details. I know the uncertainty is horrible. This administration is making decisions. We know people are losing their jobs we know more people will lose their jobs. We are doing everything in our power to ensure that the mission of the agency is met given the situation.” Have that meeting every few days if you have to.
  • Ask for clarifications. When a very broad request comes in for lists of employees, performance profiles, or other data requests it is not wrong to ask for details surrounding the request. Respond to data requests with only what is asked for.
  • If applicable and viable, consider volunteering to help your union during non-work hours
  • If you have spare annual leave and know of co-workers that need it - you can give it. Be generous to one another.
  • Check in with one another. Follow-up with co-workers that have been fired or are on the block to be and console them as you can.
  • Emotional support ideas:
    • Bring in food to share at the office.
    • Write nice messages or notes(text, email, card) if someone is fired or concerned about losing their job.
      • Tell them that you believe what’s being done is wrong and you are angry/sad on their behalf.
      • Tell them that this in no way reflects their actual performance.
      • Tell them the work they do/did is important.
    • Volunteer to organize care packages for teammates that are fired
    • Give hugs (ask first! “can I give you a hug?).