How to Help those Unemployed During the COVID-19 Pandemic

We all understand how difficult life has been to adjust to during this pandemic. With offices not allowing employees into the building and small businesses being forced to stay closed, this has left 22 million Americans unemployed during the Coronavirus pandemic. The news of being unemployed is difficult and many people have struggled with the uncertainty of how long they may be unemployed for. However, there are ways to help others who have lost their jobs during this time.

The first way to help is to not think you know what is best for them. Everyone has a different situation and is adapting differently to what is going on in the world. According to NBC News, Psychotherapist Amanda Clayman says that unemployment cannot be fixed in the blink of an eye. “Sometimes [our assumptions] may be very wrong, and it’s more likely that they will take the shape of our own fears of what they want from us”.

Another way to help is to show your support. This quarantine proves to be lonelier than anyone ever thought it would be. Clayman believes that showing your support and your willingness to help will mean more than enough to that person. “Signaling your availability is the most important thing to do, even if [the interaction] didn’t go as you hoped," Clayman said.

The last thing you can do to help those who are unemployed is to show respect for their privacy. Unemployment can be an upsetting or embarrassing topic for some to talk about. Would you feel comfortable telling your friends and family you do not know if or when you are going back to work? You need to recognize when a person is upset or does not want to talk about something. “That doesn’t mean we have to react or overreact, but we can recognize the boundary and identify what that feeling is”, Clayman said.