Everywhere you look it is doom and gloom with comments cropping up everywhere that (insert whatever percentage you want) will be made redundant within 20 years.
It's enough to make you panic don't you think? Oh no, what ever will I do if I'm made redundant?
There are really only a few things you can do when you're made redundant.
Firstly, regardless of whatever day of the week it is that you're made redundant, try to deal with the shock as fast as possible. It's never going to be nice being made redundant but sitting around in shock isn't going to help you now. Doing nothing because of the shock will only make things worse because you won't be productive.
Instead what you need to do is plan your next move.
If you had a lot of money you wouldn't be working so it goes without saying that you need to pick up a job YESTERDAY, BEFORE you were made redundant, but it's not an ideal world so that didn't of course happen.
Instead you were made redundant and now you're probably worried about money.
Look at your skills. What can you do? What are you good at? What are your strengths?
Try and generate an income based on what those skills are. If you love the field you were in and would still be in the job you were in then try and get a replacement job ASAP.
If you're in an industry that's suffering look at if you can transfer those skills to another field for example, if you're in Journalism then look at Public Relations. Look at your options. Look at what you can offer employers.
Of course, employment and recruitment can take at least four weeks.
If you feel like it was a blessing in disguise look at freelancing. See what casual, short term or contract work there is available. Look to use your network. Take it as an opportunity. Many newspapers such as the Sydney Morning Herald report that people are actually ditching the 9-5 and opting to freelance instead. That may be your best bet and then you have the flexibility to write about whatever you want. You could one day be covering a hot new suburb and the next covering a rugby or cricket match or even a concert. The world is your oyster if you're a writer/journalist.
When many people are made redundant they decide that the field they were in isn't actually what they're truly passionate about, so if you have some room to move financially take some time out and don't make any hasty decisions. Consider what it is that you want to do and pursue that. You have nothing holding you back and nothing to lose so why not do what you've always wanted to do? Why not pursue your dreams?
Being made redundant sucks and it's been reported that the average Australian will be made redundant at least once in their life.
Although redundancy isn't always avoidable, and does sometimes come as a shock you can certainly prepare for it in the future. When you have another job you can start saving money. If you have any inlking that the company you work for is in trouble, take out redundancy insurance as most insurance policies will only pay out once you have had the policy for six months. You can take our redundancy insurance either own its own or as an add on of income protection insurance policies.
Redundancy doesn't have to be doom and gloom and it really can be an opportunity to do what you really love.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Taylor Swift has earned her title as Queen of Pop 2015 4.75/5 - Sydney 28th November 2015
Being the opening artist at any concert is tough, but 27 year old Australian, Vance Joy pulled it off with great success when he opened for Taylor Swift's 1989 World Tour Sydney show.
He started with a song about going back to Melbourne to someone he cared about and despite everyone being at the show to see pop Queen Taylor Swift, he drew excitement from the crowd, even those such as myself who were not originally fans.
Joy had only his guitar on stage and pulled off a brilliant rendition of Mess is mine before concluding his set with his 2013 hit, Riptide, which propelled him from oblivion into the public arena, and being of a calibre worthy of supporting Ms Taylor Swift.
Given he's a genuine performer it's hard for even the harshest critic not to fall in love with him or his supporting band members, like his drummer.
There was half an hour between Vance Joy's set and Ms Swift's.
The stage was prepared so that Taylor would enter the stage through curtains in the shape of an old stereo. She drew squeals from the mostly, high school aged crowd when the started with Welcome to New York.
As she moved through her set list there were videos interspersed from her friends such as Lena Dunham and Selena Gomez between songs and vamping.
When Ms Swift vamped between songs she really thanked the audience for choosing to spend the night with her when they could have been "doing a million other things" in Sydney and that it was special that people had memorised her lyrics, when she "writes a lot of them".
She moved quickly through the first part of the set with I knew your trouble, I wish you would and All you had to do was stay just to name a few.
The pace changed with love ballad, You are in love. Swift returned to stage with just her accoustic guitar and asked for crowd participation on the chorus. This was a truly beautiful moment.
Swift is no stranger to criticisms from the media, so while she was introducing her next song she talked about how people should not be afraid of who they are and that people should ignore negative comments. She was impressed that people were singing as if they truly didn't care who was around, and then launched into Clean, which it turns out has a different meaning to what I'd originally thought.
I had originally thought it was about a break up or friendship end but it's actually about being clean from what people think of you and moving on.
We are never getting back together started with a bang, and when the crowd realised what song it was being introduced by pyrotechnics they gave due applause and sung along the entire way through.
All shows have back up dancers, and as mentioned Swift made use of videos from her friends, she also made use of videos during the songs, and in the case of Out of the woods the video was set in the woods while she sung in a golf glitter full length jumpsuit.
There was a short break of less than a minute and then Taylor launched into her final track, Shake it off. Lyrics appeared on the screens and fireworks concluded the show. Her trademark outfit of the moment is skirts and crop tops, and that was her outfit of choice during Shake it off. Instead of going for the usual four minutes, it went for seven months and she thanked her fans once again.
The set suddenly felt like it had been very quick, but the song was drawn out so Swift could adequately satisfy her fans, thank her dancers and back up singers, and just like Katy Perry has done before her, Swift ended the show with confetti and fireworks.
The best parts of the show were her little comments between songs.
Her show is arranged down to the last detail however despite this she comes across as extremely genuine and it's easy to see why she is the world's Queen of Pop in 2015.
If she does get bored of singing or decide she wants to take a break from it, then based on her looks to camera and movements she could easily be an actress or model.
All in all it was a brilliant show and it is easy to see why 76,000 people attended the sold out concert.
He started with a song about going back to Melbourne to someone he cared about and despite everyone being at the show to see pop Queen Taylor Swift, he drew excitement from the crowd, even those such as myself who were not originally fans.
Joy had only his guitar on stage and pulled off a brilliant rendition of Mess is mine before concluding his set with his 2013 hit, Riptide, which propelled him from oblivion into the public arena, and being of a calibre worthy of supporting Ms Taylor Swift.
Given he's a genuine performer it's hard for even the harshest critic not to fall in love with him or his supporting band members, like his drummer.
There was half an hour between Vance Joy's set and Ms Swift's.
The stage was prepared so that Taylor would enter the stage through curtains in the shape of an old stereo. She drew squeals from the mostly, high school aged crowd when the started with Welcome to New York.
As she moved through her set list there were videos interspersed from her friends such as Lena Dunham and Selena Gomez between songs and vamping.
When Ms Swift vamped between songs she really thanked the audience for choosing to spend the night with her when they could have been "doing a million other things" in Sydney and that it was special that people had memorised her lyrics, when she "writes a lot of them".
She moved quickly through the first part of the set with I knew your trouble, I wish you would and All you had to do was stay just to name a few.
The pace changed with love ballad, You are in love. Swift returned to stage with just her accoustic guitar and asked for crowd participation on the chorus. This was a truly beautiful moment.
Swift is no stranger to criticisms from the media, so while she was introducing her next song she talked about how people should not be afraid of who they are and that people should ignore negative comments. She was impressed that people were singing as if they truly didn't care who was around, and then launched into Clean, which it turns out has a different meaning to what I'd originally thought.
I had originally thought it was about a break up or friendship end but it's actually about being clean from what people think of you and moving on.
We are never getting back together started with a bang, and when the crowd realised what song it was being introduced by pyrotechnics they gave due applause and sung along the entire way through.
All shows have back up dancers, and as mentioned Swift made use of videos from her friends, she also made use of videos during the songs, and in the case of Out of the woods the video was set in the woods while she sung in a golf glitter full length jumpsuit.
There was a short break of less than a minute and then Taylor launched into her final track, Shake it off. Lyrics appeared on the screens and fireworks concluded the show. Her trademark outfit of the moment is skirts and crop tops, and that was her outfit of choice during Shake it off. Instead of going for the usual four minutes, it went for seven months and she thanked her fans once again.
The set suddenly felt like it had been very quick, but the song was drawn out so Swift could adequately satisfy her fans, thank her dancers and back up singers, and just like Katy Perry has done before her, Swift ended the show with confetti and fireworks.
The best parts of the show were her little comments between songs.
Her show is arranged down to the last detail however despite this she comes across as extremely genuine and it's easy to see why she is the world's Queen of Pop in 2015.
If she does get bored of singing or decide she wants to take a break from it, then based on her looks to camera and movements she could easily be an actress or model.
All in all it was a brilliant show and it is easy to see why 76,000 people attended the sold out concert.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Rights of NZ citizens in Australia - the reality makes Australia's human rights record look appalling
"Every
State has the primary duty to protect its own population from grave and
sustained violations of human rights, as well as from the consequences
of humanitarian crises, whether natural or man-made."
This quote was made famous by Pope Benedict XVI.
It seems as if Australia doesn't know what rights are.
Now, some might say the nation must protect its citizens first, but what if, imagine for a moment that the people being denied rights effectively have no voice. Imagine that for a moment.
Can you imagine living in a country where you have no rights, no voice, nobody listens, nobody cares? Can you imagine being in a situation where your rights are taken away from you and because you have no voice there is nothing you can do?
Can you imagine that?
Well for the 600,000 New Zealand citizens living in Australia who arrived after 2001 that's the reality.
These people didn't arrive to go on welfare. They didn't uproot their entire lives just to have things thrown in their face when things got tough. They didn't pay taxes and set up new lives just to have that taken away if things got tough.
They moved, like all the other people did in 1788 when the first fleet arrived, for a better life. They moved for opportunities that their home country, in this case, New Zealand, may not provide.
They moved for a new beginning like all immigrants do.
These people didn't arrive to go on welfare. They didn't uproot their entire lives just to have things thrown in their face when things got tough. They didn't pay taxes and set up new lives just to have that taken away if things got tough.
They moved, like all the other people did in 1788 when the first fleet arrived, for a better life. They moved for opportunities that their home country, in this case, New Zealand, may not provide.
They moved for a new beginning like all immigrants do.
So what happens when someone moves for a better life and they have no back up? They have to get on a plane and go back to a place that not only they may not want to go to, but a place that may be bad for them.
Ignoring the plight of these people defies United Nations conventions and it baffles belief that a country can have a population of 600,000, many, hard working, people and turf them out, yet will keep terrorists who are citizens and will keep supporting people who are not truly after a better life and who take Australia for granted.
Why should people be forced to uproot just because of a bad circumstance? Why does the Australian government think it is acceptable to effectively kick out 600,000 people who have made this country home?
Ignoring the plight of these people defies United Nations conventions and it baffles belief that a country can have a population of 600,000, many, hard working, people and turf them out, yet will keep terrorists who are citizens and will keep supporting people who are not truly after a better life and who take Australia for granted.
Why should people be forced to uproot just because of a bad circumstance? Why does the Australian government think it is acceptable to effectively kick out 600,000 people who have made this country home?
It's not okay that people who are paying taxes and contributing to society have no rights, but this is the kicker.
These people can't vote. It's not like they can say to the Government, "if you don't improve the situation you've lost my vote," because they can't vote. They don't have a say on issues of national significance.
These people can't vote. It's not like they can say to the Government, "if you don't improve the situation you've lost my vote," because they can't vote. They don't have a say on issues of national significance.
And it stinks, it really stinks that a country, a supposedly Western country, can think it's okay to deny 600,000 people, that's 5% of the population basic rights to shelter, food, water, air and democracy.
But the Australian Government seems to think that treating the 600,000 NZ citizens living in Australia like garbage is okay rather than realising that for many, they don't want to go back to New Zealand, that their life is in Australia.
There are pathways for citizenship, but let's be clear, why would a company pay a sponsorship fee when the person is already working for them? What do they possibly have to gain? Why would they hand over their financials and operational information when the person is already working for them?
But the Australian Government seems to think that treating the 600,000 NZ citizens living in Australia like garbage is okay rather than realising that for many, they don't want to go back to New Zealand, that their life is in Australia.
There are pathways for citizenship, but let's be clear, why would a company pay a sponsorship fee when the person is already working for them? What do they possibly have to gain? Why would they hand over their financials and operational information when the person is already working for them?
Wages aren't the best in certain sectors at the moment and rents, especially if you're in Sydney where the jobs are, are extremely expensive, so based on low wages and based on permanent residency costs of $6000, how can NZ citizens living in Australia gain permanent residency and subsequently citizenship?
And with zero employment security and casualisation of the workforce, how can the skilled NZ citizens get sponsorship from their employer when they already work for them?
NZ citizens are part of Australia's population and as Pope Benedict XVI said, a nation has a duty to protect its population.
NZ citizens are part of Australia's population and as Pope Benedict XVI said, a nation has a duty to protect its population.
What's happened to rights in Australia? Why does the government think it is okay to spit on those who are trying to make this place home? Why does the Australian government think it's okay to not give NZ citizens temporary protection when times aren't good?
Why people should vote seriously in the NZ Flag referendum
The majority of New Zealanders have an opinion on the flag referendum presently being held and running until the 11th of December.
According to a 3 News/Reid Research poll 69% of New Zealanders do not wish to change the flag, 25% do and the remaining 6% are undecided.
Since the voting commenced on the 20th of November people have been posting photos of defaced referendum forms on their social media pages.
Rather than waiting to until the second referendum to voice that they do not want the flag to change they're effectively throwing their democratic right away.
New Zealand soldiers did not fight in World War 1 and World War 2 so that people could throw away their right to vote, and women didn't fight for the right to vote just so MPs such as Claire Curran could throw that right away.
By all means disagree with changing the flag but it would not hurt to vote seriously in the first referendum and then vote NO to change in the second referendum.
All the defacing of forms does is undermine the importance of democracy which not everyone in the world has.
It's actually a luxury afforded to so few and shouldn't be taken for granted.
Change doesn't occur by sitting back and doing nothing. It occurs when people stand up and use their democratic right in a mature and responsible manner.
According to a 3 News/Reid Research poll 69% of New Zealanders do not wish to change the flag, 25% do and the remaining 6% are undecided.
Since the voting commenced on the 20th of November people have been posting photos of defaced referendum forms on their social media pages.
Rather than waiting to until the second referendum to voice that they do not want the flag to change they're effectively throwing their democratic right away.
New Zealand soldiers did not fight in World War 1 and World War 2 so that people could throw away their right to vote, and women didn't fight for the right to vote just so MPs such as Claire Curran could throw that right away.
By all means disagree with changing the flag but it would not hurt to vote seriously in the first referendum and then vote NO to change in the second referendum.
All the defacing of forms does is undermine the importance of democracy which not everyone in the world has.
It's actually a luxury afforded to so few and shouldn't be taken for granted.
Change doesn't occur by sitting back and doing nothing. It occurs when people stand up and use their democratic right in a mature and responsible manner.
The mainstream media has a duty to report facts not post questionable images for click bait (you will not see said image here)
It's been a while since I've written an article here, however yesterday the inspiration struck me while I was reading the mainstream media.
I don't want to go into too many details here, but 30 year old rugby player, Sonny Bill Williams posted a graphic photo of him undergoing the cupping medical treatment on social media.
The image was picked up by the mainstream media (which you can find if you do a Google search but as I don't find the image to be in good taste I am not going to link to it).
There is a line between reporting the facts:
- Sonny Bill Williams likes the cupping treatment.
- The cupping treatment is a medical treatment whereby people have their blood "sucked" in cups to rid it off the toxins.
- How long the cupping technique has been around.
- What the effects of it are.
And oversharing/crossing the line into indecency.
The mainstream media crossed that line by posting the image on their homepages (Daily Mail, News.com.au, NZ Herald). It had no place there as it didn't give the reader the choice as to whether or not they would view an image they may find offensive and it did not add to the story.
It is the mainstream media's job to report the facts, but it is not their job to cross boundaries and report disgusting facts just to get click bait.
That is not what news is about.
News isn't sexy and it isn't supposed to be. It is supposed to be informative.
Sadly that view isn't widely held, with News Corp announcing 55 editorial positions to be axed this across Australia.
Cost cutting may be essential because companies aren't spending in advertising but have the managers ever wondered why that is? Why would companies spend money on advertising when people aren't reading the news as much? And why would people read the news when the quality is on the constant decline? In order to deliver quality organisations have to have quality staff, and that won't always mean sexy stories about the latest medical fad or posting questionable images that people have no desire to see.
Posting questionable images and cutting editorial staff is the fastest way to kill journalism and lose your advertisers.
I don't want to go into too many details here, but 30 year old rugby player, Sonny Bill Williams posted a graphic photo of him undergoing the cupping medical treatment on social media.
The image was picked up by the mainstream media (which you can find if you do a Google search but as I don't find the image to be in good taste I am not going to link to it).
There is a line between reporting the facts:
- Sonny Bill Williams likes the cupping treatment.
- The cupping treatment is a medical treatment whereby people have their blood "sucked" in cups to rid it off the toxins.
- How long the cupping technique has been around.
- What the effects of it are.
And oversharing/crossing the line into indecency.
The mainstream media crossed that line by posting the image on their homepages (Daily Mail, News.com.au, NZ Herald). It had no place there as it didn't give the reader the choice as to whether or not they would view an image they may find offensive and it did not add to the story.
It is the mainstream media's job to report the facts, but it is not their job to cross boundaries and report disgusting facts just to get click bait.
That is not what news is about.
News isn't sexy and it isn't supposed to be. It is supposed to be informative.
Sadly that view isn't widely held, with News Corp announcing 55 editorial positions to be axed this across Australia.
Cost cutting may be essential because companies aren't spending in advertising but have the managers ever wondered why that is? Why would companies spend money on advertising when people aren't reading the news as much? And why would people read the news when the quality is on the constant decline? In order to deliver quality organisations have to have quality staff, and that won't always mean sexy stories about the latest medical fad or posting questionable images that people have no desire to see.
Posting questionable images and cutting editorial staff is the fastest way to kill journalism and lose your advertisers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)