Former Standard Media Journalist, Carolyne Bii, recounted her career setback after she was made redundant by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) 8 months into her new role.
Bii has made a bold decision to embrace her redundancy journey and brand herself as a redundancy ambassador, putting herself out to become the poster child for other professionals declared redundant.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Bii said that she didn't know the way forward when the news got to her. However, when she got the courage to share the story with her close circle, she realised that the situation was not as bleek as she initially thought.
“My family was very supportive, they have always been. My dad wasn’t worried at all. He said something like ‘don’t worry it happens, very soon you’ll land on your feet again. Keep looking for opportunities,” She stated.
According to the former KTN reporter, she was a victim of BBC’s mass redundancy necessitated by the changing media landscape. She revealed that the broadcaster had informed her that the sacking had nothing to do with her work performance.
Despite the disappointment, she expressed her gratitude to have gotten the opportunity to grow her skills, expand her knowledge and work with talented journalists.
She also went the extra mile of revealing why she had decided to make her story public. She observed that being made redundant comes with a torrent of shame and humiliation as well as snatching one’s professional identity, status and value.
“I share my story because in our country when we’re made redundant, we feel shamefaced and humiliated. The ‘value’ it takes away from you. Truth be told, losing your job may profoundly affect your professional identity, status and importance,’’ Bii affirmed.
The journalist looks forward to sharing lessons learned from the experience though she stated that this is the first time she shared on social media about the job loss. She aims to break the stigma and welcome conversations revolving around the impact of redundancy.
To ensure that you don’t find yourself in a mental breakdown, Bii advises, one needs to accept the reality, adjust their lifestyle and then accelerate to see the possibilities of new opportunities.
In what seemed like gravitation to a different career, Bii shared her passion for nail technology. She stated that she had taken up a technical course and was taking pride in the new skill.
“I have had an interest in cosmetics, to be specific nail technology. When the redundancy announcement was made I had to think quickly in case I don't get a job the next month. I took the course for four months,” She said.
She noted that taking up the new skill made her occupied and helped her not think about the redundancy.
Bii worked at the Standard Group for seven years where she was a multimedia journalist and reporter. Prior to that, She also worked at CNBC Africa as a Production Assistant for an year.
BBC on September 29,2022 announced mass retrenchment of nearly 382 journalists in its offices across the globe, including its bureau in Nairobi attributing the decision to inflation pressure that affected its licencing fees among other services.
