Layoff Survivor Syndrome
Employees who remain face extra work and uncertainty
“If I hear ‘At least you have a job’ one more time, I’m going to physically injure someone,” said a 45-year-old software engineer at a Northern California firm who didn't want to be named for fear of further jeopardizing her job. “Yes, you still have a paycheck coming in, but sometimes I wonder if it’s worth the stress.”
Layoff survivor? Listen up
Employees left behind after a round of layoffs often can feel like victims rather than survivors, said Mitchell Marks, an organizational psychologist and author of "Charging Back Up the Hill: Workforce Recovery after Mergers, Acquisitions and Downsizings."
They may still have their jobs, but they often lack the security and confidence that the position is safe. At the same time, they may miss their former colleagues and even envy them their newfound freedom to make change. "The others got out," Marks explained.
Thriving in a declining workplace can be a challenge, but Marks offers some advice:
— Talk to someone about your feelings: a trusted friend, a therapist, your company's employee assistance program.
— Remember that the layoffs are not your fault.
— Realize that feelings of anger, depression and guilt are normal.
— Be proactive about your workload. Don't wait for your boss to come to you. Sit down and say, 'I'm doing the work of three people. What are your priorities?'"
— Start thinking of your own career. Use your current position to prepare you for the next one. Get new training. Seek out new responsibilities. Build your skills and credentials. "This is a chance to rethink your career," he said. "Maybe you use your employer to become more marketable."
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‘Layoff survivor syndrome’
Organizational psychologists call it “layoff survivor syndrome,” the collection of emotional, psychological and physical reactions long documented in workers who remain on the job. Being left behind, they say, can sometimes be as distressing as being let go.
“In fact, the survivors are also victims,” said Harold G. Kaufman, a professor of management and director of the organizational behavior program at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University.
Like people who escape harm when others are hurt in a natural disaster or terrible accident, employees who keep their jobs in downturn often feel guilty, said Mitchell Marks, an associate professor of management at the San Francisco State University College of business.
“It’s exactly as when you lose a good friend or a sibling,” he said. “You feel responsible in some way.”
That feeling is heightened by the typically random nature of layoffs, he said. If an employee is fired for cause, another worker can rationalize that he or she deserved it. But when a layoff of an equally qualified peer occurs, it sends the person left behind reeling.
“That’s psychologically troubling,” said Marks “You’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. You feel like you can’t control your fate.”
At the same time, the lingering uncertainty leaves many workers feeling anxious, depressed, angry — and physically ill, according to experts who have monitored previous downturns.
“You’ll get a lot of people that clearly identify that they’re having more physical symptoms: stomach aches, colds, more illness. Their immune system is down,” said Jodi Prohofsky, senior vice president for CIGNA Health Solutions, which provides employee assistance programs for more than 1,000 national firms.
Source: "Guilty and stressed, layoff survivors suffer, too. Employees who remain face extra work, uncertainty — and no sympathy" by JoNel Aleccia, Health writer, msnbc.com, updated 8:15 a.m. ET, Mon., Dec. 15, 2008. Site address: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28196734  .
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More Work Remains for the Layoff Survivors
In a layoff, more work remains for the employees who survive the cuts. The people who were laid off leave their whole job for others to accomplish. That is just the way it is. Failure to recognize this is like the ostrich with his head in the sand. No amount of hiding will make this fact go away. The best approach to divvying up the missing coworker’s work is to meet as a team or departmental work group with your manager to determine what must be accomplished for customers. Ask your supervisor to help establish priorities.
You can’t accomplish everything your coworker was contributing so your own job might substantially change. You may need to eliminate the components that don’t directly serve your internal or external customers. An approach, during this discussion, that emphasizes continuous process improvement will best serve the layoff survivors. Fewer steps and less time invested in the remaining elements of departmental work processes will streamline work and eliminate unnecessary steps. But, sometimes more is needed.
Source: "How to Cope When Coworkers Lose Their Jobs, Layoff Survivors Experience Feelings of Guilt, Sadness, Loss, and Fear" by Susan M. Heathfield, About.com. Site address: http://humanresources.about.com/od/layoffsdownsizing/a/survivors_cope.htm
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