Being change-hardy
Patricia Kitchen

The way you react to change in the workplace often parallels the way you react to change in your personal life, says Bill Heather, senior vice-president of a management consultants' firm.

And since change is here to stay in the corporate world, you may want to work to become what he calls "change hardy" -- that is, you can see that not all change is bad, though some certainly is.

It also means you can refrain from getting immersed in the rumor mill and stay focused on doing what you can to assure you will land on your feet — somewhere.

Here are further suggestions:

Talk to others who have gone through workplace upheaval, says Lindsey Pollak, a career coach and author. Try to find those who can give a straight view on how things developed for them and what actions and resources they found to be useful.

If your employer has an employee assistance programme, now is the time to call. Don't expect these counsellors to have inside information or tell you what you should do. But they can help you learn to manage the stress and stay focused on being productive in a way that's in your own best interest.

Learn about the stages of grief, says Donna Anselmo, president of a marketing group. That's what's at play for many people: mourning the loss of a workplace as they knew it. And know that "people do survive. They land on their feet," she says. Read up on change in classics such as "Transitions'' by William Bridges and "Who Moved My Cheese?'' by Spencer Johnson.

— LA Times-Washington Post