Virus shutdown hits contract-worker mom hard

Among the casualties of the turmoil wrought by the coronavirus on the economy is a single mom who worries about how she will continue to provide for her family after being retrenched from her job.

Wardah Wilson, a 35-year-old woman who lives with her son, took a leap of faith last year by changing her career path from working in the call centre industry to becoming an international influencer in the marketing business.

Wilson said that she was content and felt as if the new job gave her a sense of security.

Being an influencer meant she was expected to create campaigns and provide copy. She said this was an incredible way for her to gain experience and it gave her more time to spend with her son.

“My passion has always been technology and I took a keen interest in social media and how that impacts consumers,” said Wilson. “In November 2019, I quit my job at a very popular kitchenware store where I was lucky enough to work with both customer service and social media management.

“The timing for all of this just felt right. This was a good move for me as I also wanted to spend more time with my son.

“I started working for an international influencer marketing business. In my free time, I was learning digital marketing through Google online courses. I had never been more certain about a career move than this. I was happy and our company was growing, we were interviewing to expand the team. Millions of euros were just invested in this startup and it was all over the news making headlines. We felt like we had job security. Then Covid-19 hit us hard.”

Wilson received news on 30 March that her company’s headquarters in the United Kingdom was forced to end all contracts. There were no benefits or pension packages to walk away with – only the last pay cheque for the month.

“My boss called me out of the blue and in a quick four-minute call, he told me that with the coronavirus spreading through the UK, and lockdowns being imposed, it was unfortunate that we, the South African team, would have to be let go with immediate notice as they had no choice but to end all our contracts that very day,” said Wilson.

“The industry that was literally booming days before was suddenly dead. There were lockdowns worldwide preventing any shopping.

“Because we were contracted to this company, there was no severance package, no benefits. Just the last pay cheque that was sent by EFT after the call had ended. I was calm as I took in this news, but the calm was only temporary,” Wilson said.

She said she faced the future with uncertainty and was unable to claim from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) as she was considered a freelancer.

“Being unable to secure employment takes its toll on one’s mental health and you begin to doubt yourself, your skills, and your experience. My self-confidence is affected and every day that this pandemic continues, panic grows within me.

“The biggest fear is that there are no jobs.”