Restructure - rama: How to survive spills, fills and thrills

So there's a few restructures happening around us again.While not directly involved from a change management perspective, I've been with teams directly affected by restructures every year for the last four years.  And you know there is a marked consistency to how most respond to the news that their role may be in doubt and that they have limited control over the outcome. I've written about it earlier - and this post is still quite relevant (it deals with more of the emotional state)The responses largely sound / look like anxiety, anger, and fear  over "what if I lose my job and don't receive the income for the next x weeks / months that I thought I would?", "what about all of the efforts I have made in developing a reputation for myself in this role?", "What about the sacrifices I have made for this company to achieve "y"? "I've been with this company for ten years, who will want me now? How will I find another job".There may be some people with a swing in their step, eyes sparkling at the potential of new opportunities...but for the most part, these people are few.In my experience the majority of anxiety and fear comes down to uncertainty about a future financial state, and relatedly, securing a role which ensures financial certainty.Here's my tips on surviving restructures from that perspective.

1. Your emotional state is completely valid - you need to lean into that, acknowledge and respect that. Denial is useful only for short periods of time. It's like the sandbag walls that soldiers take retreat behind to buy some time. It's not a strategy for defending a country!
2. Spend some time thinking broader than your current role. Might this activity be the springboard to something bigger, better, different? You may be in a snakes and ladders situation - take a lesser role for three months to step up to a better role when the dust settles.
3. If you are not comfortable with uncertainty, then now is the time for ego to take a back seat. Secure cashflow with whatever role is offered, and then work your way out of it when you have more control.
4. Don't make assumptions. You have no way of knowing all of the machinations that are going on with the folk "in control".
5. Review your finances. What are you fixed expenses, what are your variable expenses? Career protection insurance? Mortgage protection insurance? Projected expenditure? What can you shift, reduce, pre-pay? Work out worst case scenario and then an armageddon case scenario. If you know what you will do in those cases then you have control of uncertainty. Talk to friends and family and get a sense of who can help in what way? (additional boarder? childcare for a short period of time).
6. Inform yourself of entitlements - eg what is it likely you will get if made redundant? When do your insurances kick in?
7. Review and update your resume, focus on achievements and outcomes. Update your linkedin profile, and if you are new to Linkedin find a buddy who can help you with it.
8. Make a list of your career accomplishments and what excites you - talk to people about future opportunities from a place of excitement, not defeat
9. Tend to your network - update them with what is happening, and let them know how they can help you
10. Ask others how you can help them - focusing less on yourself, and more on others can shift the energy considerably.
11. Be ready!

Anxiety during restructures usually comes from asking the question "what if" and not being able to answer the question. Take action to be able to answer the question and you feel more in control and prepared. You will see that I have made a number of assumptions in here about insurances.I think there are three groups of people when it comes to insurance.  Group one who see insurance as an important financial foundation that mitigates against uncertainty. Group two who resent and reject the insurance industry but recognise the importance of having a savings buffer that mitigates against uncertainty and have significant liquidity. Group three - the unaware, the ignorant, and the inexperienced.  If you are in Group 3, be prepared for a rockier ride, but let it be a learning experience.Good luck with your restructure - if you are also a veteran of restructure perhaps you can share what happened? Did you end of in a better position or worse? What would have made the difference?