Laid off from work, professionals face mental and financial crisis

Chennai

For Saima Farheen, who was left without work from mid-April, the shutdown has slowly chipped into her savings, and she says that she has just enough to sustain for the next three months. “I was saving to take a holiday to Istanbul, but it obviously did not work out. I feel embarrassed asking my parents for money at my age, but I think I will have no other choice after this,” she said.

Parental support is also something that is difficult to come by, according to some. Pressure from parents has led to many feeling mentally down. “I was asked to resign from my company that I had been working in for about four years. When I told my parents this, they were very upset at me and said that I should have worked harder. It is difficult because I already feel ashamed for losing my job, and the added pressure from parents is not helping,” said an IT professional working in the city.

Life goes on during the shutdown and Farheen was posed with shifting houses while she was bereft of work opportunities. “There was a lull in the shutdown, and that’s when I decided to move houses. It was an expensive move because workers took advantage of my situation. The down payment was paid by my savings, and with whatever money I had left from my previous down payment. It’s put a huge strain that I cannot afford now,” she said.

For freelancers, dues and owed payments have not yet been paid, they said. “This is especially hurtful now because we need the money now more than ever. I still haven’t been paid for a job in March, and all attempts to contact my employer have received radio silence. As a freelancer, I also don’t have a regular income and there is less freelance work during the shutdown. So it has left me in a vulnerable space, and I am very worried about the future,” said a freelance content writer in the city.