Remaining employees suffer the most after downsizing: report
You can't open a newspaper or scan a web site with seeing another item about corporate layoffs.
And while downsizing is clearly devastating for those being let go, it’s the survivors that often have the worst time of it.
Quite often, the still-employed, who by all rights should be grateful for having jobs, end up resenting their bosses, hampering their performance at the same time.
If people are fired for cause, you can always rationalize that they deserved it. But when it’s an equally qualified peer, the typical result for those left behind is a lot of emotional baggage, including fear, uncertainty, grief, guilt and mistrust.
Workforce experts call it layoff survivor’s syndrome.
And why not? Fewer hands on deck means more work for those still around, which can lead to resentment, especially if the survivors don't feel the company is committed to their future and that they’re probably the next to go anyway.
It’s not as if all this is a secret. According to a recent study from the Human Capital Institute, most employers contemplating layoffs rank decreased levels of morale (71%) and reduced loyalty (62%) among remaining employees as their major hurdles.
The solution, HCI maintains, is an effective outplacement program that includes coaching and guidance from consultants; self-marketing materials; skill building and coaching; job leads and networking connections; and access to online resources.
Sounds good in theory ... unless you’re one of those on the receiving end.
What happened when you were shown the door? Or are you one of those dealing with survivor guilt?
By Gordon Powers, MSN Money
Posted by: Phill | Mar 5, 2022 10:15:00 AM
I don't think it is as much about survivor guilt as it is about paranoia. When employees are watching their peers get pink slips they are wondering when it will be their turn. Companies are seldom forthright in their information as it pertains to individual employees and there are no golden rules on how one employee will protect their position over another employee. Generally you are at the mercy of your superior, their preferences and their management style.
Posted by: renaissance clothing | Mar 5, 2022 11:44:26 AM
It's more like of a guilty feeling. It will always bother you that you stil have a job and your friend got fired. But I guess we should all take this normally. These things really happen in real life.
Posted by: Chelsy | Mar 5, 2022 12:15:34 PM
I was the sole survivor among my crew of a massive layoff last year, due to our contract having ended. It was because of my position that I remained and was re-assigned, while my 12 coworkers were sent to the unemployment line. Though I understood my company's position and the situation they were themselves forced into by this, my guilt was in the fact that I was among the newest employees within the company, watching others with more experience and time, being asked to leave.
While I retained my position within the company for another year before relocating to an area which the company didn't have holdings, I faced much prejudice and harassment from some of my past co-workers while I was there, forcing me into the decision to leave the company.
Posted by: Derek | Mar 5, 2022 1:40:56 PM
I think the resentment is, at least in my opinion, that some corporate hack to will off a bunch of people, then put pressure on the remaining employees to do the jobs of three. This leaves the remaining employees to quit, leaving the company in worse shape than it was before. Usually these multi-nationals lay off more on retaining their own salaries/bonuses, rather than strategic reasons.
Posted by: Don | Mar 5, 2022 1:49:10 PM
A company can not expect loyalty when they give none. We have seen it. As soon as the numbers start to fall, the big guys bonuses remain intact but they start to layoff staff, push the workers left harder (in some cases to nervous breakdown or exhaustion). All of our workforce is becoming demoralized. I know that I will never have loyalty for a company again. i will do my job but they dont care about my situation so why should I care about thiers? I have had long term employment and lived and breathed the company and their best interests and after 15 years got let go when they someone would do it a little cheaper.
I spoke to the people left and do think that in the long run....I got the better deal. They were overworked, demoralized and living each day uncertain about their future. I have seen companies that threaten your job every 3-6 months for years. I have yet to figure out how they think this is motivating thier staff to do a better job or become more productive.
Posted by: Lee Ann | Mar 5, 2022 2:00:26 PM
"There are so many people unemployed by Lay offs in our Country of Canada that it is causing nothing but grief and that grief devistates our Health System, our Families, seperation & divorce rate, self respect,guilt and over all humiliation and anger accumulating at a viral rate....(Yes in the remaing employees thoughts as their jobs are threatened) " We are a Rich/Poor country. There are very few average working citizens... We all need 2 incomes to survive... How many( like the USA) have take a 2nd mortgage on their home if they have one and possibly not for long???... There will be more single families... unemployed (both parents) Welfare??? If you are lucky to qualify. Today our government won't even employ our Canadians to drive to Olympic venues for the paralympics... Go figure... You will find shanty towns/squaters on the rise and we will beocme a 3rd world State... Yes! I'm angry. I work in a volitile Business (Real Estate) and for sure every day I wonder if our doors are going to close...
Posted by: Bill | Mar 5, 2022 3:44:14 PM
promises and prosperity, and nothing but broken dreams. no where to go for those without jobs and for those with, the fear of losing years, decades of planned retirement, savings and pensions. people who require medications cant afford them, those with homes forced to sell or go bankrupt. schools feel a pinch to misguided economy. raising the bar and costs for students, more students feel the need and push to drop out. loitering the streets full to the brim of old factory workers, ex-office administration personel and students with no future. minimum wage will go up soon for those still working, and im sure we will see another few thousand unemployed due to the cost increase in pay and inflation. stability is a thing of the past, and its time we get used to it. once the economic crisis is over, we just might have machines fully doing humans jobs, then we will see some hard times. when theres no room for us left at all, then what? when people cost too much.
Posted by: joana | Mar 5, 2022 4:58:58 PM
wow - and to think everything I worked for almost gone - single mom work 2 jobs - my business and nights at call center just to keep what I worked so hard to get - Never forget the feeling when I bought my house - I can see both sides of the story - and agree with both. My saddness is my boys are 6 and 8 years old and know what a hydro bill is and when I say sorry can't take the day off - they respond with ' we know the mortage has to be paid". I know of professionals that have had 3 different careers - yet I think what to change to? what is enjoyable - satisfying- that would give the opportunity to grow - right now not much - longing for the farm life again - at least everyone needs to eat - even when the day comes and robots do the work of the average joe.
Posted by: Breezin | Mar 5, 2022 5:14:58 PM
Unfortunately employees are treated as commodities today (like so many apples in a basket) instead of being treated like human beings with real lives.
Posted by: Kimmbo | Mar 5, 2022 10:36:13 PM
I was the last to go on my previous job, 2nd to the boss to turn off the light when my boss hired my assistant who I trained. My reward? five hundred dollars that paid for one month of mortgage. This time, I was bullied out of my job, constructive dismissal, no notice, no pay. I learnt that loyalty, dedication and hardwork mean nothing to your employer. It would be better to put your eggs in different baskets. Split your self up, multi-jobbing for part time work is better than full time work. This is the trend the business world is going anyway, no full time, no benefits.
Posted by: Nobody | Mar 6, 2022 6:41:28 PM
I personally work for one of the largest companies in the world, but for a small section of it. Alot of people were layed off, the place was a mess before and remains a mess now, They pride themselves on saving X million of dollar's, but our service is still terrible and everything is everywhere.
I carry alot of resentment as the money saved only equates to a few items sold to make up for the losses as everything is low volume very high markup. To invest in the people and take the chance to clean things up. Would bring back 10 fold the business, thus I believe the losses they saved were really lost.
There are hundreds of people at our doorstep wanting in, but with the level of service we provide they cannot take the risk to have millions of dollar's sitting idle waiting for repair.
While I still survive within the company, I work long hour's despite my low wages to save my own name from the corperate tarnish.
STEP 1: get caught up
STEP 2: hope to hell I have not pissed off all future potiential employers in my line of work.
Posted by: James | Mar 6, 2022 11:44:20 PM
What a shame to have to live within our means. God forbid we should be with nothing and on the street. There is always jobs available, you just have to look beyond your ego and make less then $20 an hour. It is possible to live on. I am empathetic enough to be unable to pay my bills but work 6 or 7 days a week at less then i made 8 years ago when i graduated highschool to pay them with sacrifice. May we all be so humble, suck it up, and get back out there and work to make things better again. Get on with it, life doesn't wait for us, it keeps goin.
Posted by: Online Dating | Mar 16, 2022 3:56:34 AM
yes I will really feel bad if i'm still working and my friends got fired. it's such a burden to carry the thought that they are now struggling to find a job to feed their families. But on the other hand, those employees just have to carry that burden. They have no choice but to stay on the job and just be thankful.