Society is changing ? business is changing ? government is changing. We are in an era of change as significant as the New Deal, which created jobs after the Depression and helped people deal with food, shelter and self-esteem.
Today?s Downsizing Deal is designed to restructure and re-engineer schools, hospitals, companies, corporations and government. But what is this Downsizing Deal doing to people?
In order to cope with significant changes such as death, divorce or joblessness, we have to deal with loss. Whenever there is loss, there is grieving. People need to process grief in order to regain hope ? the anticipation of something good.
Those who are abruptly shuttled off the job have to find a new means of employment and restore their damaged self-esteem. But what about those who survive? Don?t assume they now are marvelously productive and energized for the next decade in the life of their company. SURVIVORS HIT HARD
Survivors are hit just as hard emotionally as their departed colleagues. Author David Noer says, ?Layoff survivors carry heavy emotional baggage and, unless given the opportunity to drop it, are unable to progress beyond their debilitating funk.?
They experience a disease called ?survivors? sickness? which needs to be healed before an employee can go on with any measure of excitement. As Noer writes, the generic term ?layoff survivor sickness? describes a set of attitudes, feelings and perceptions that occur in employees who remain in organizations following involuntary employee reductions.
Take note of the seven most common symptoms survivors experience.
1. FEAR ? Will I be next? Should I fear for my job? Much of the talented people?s energy will go into self-preservation because they fear they may be the next ones out on the street.
2. GUILT ? Why did I remain? When one individual with a series of poor evaluations if let go, people understand. But when hard-working, diligent co-workers with families to care for are released, it sends shock waves to those who remain. This happens after every disaster. Just look to Kobe, Japan, where people are sitting on curbsides wondering why their neighbors died and they didn?t. They feel guilty and very puzzled.
3. ANGER ? This comes from the fact that a ?psychological employment contract? has been broken. The real contract is stated in the job description, remuneration and benefits that go with the job. But the unwritten and assumed contract was: ?If I work hard for you and get good reviews, then I?ll be able to work here until I retire.? In today?s world, that?s just not so! And when workers figure out that this ?psychological employment contract? has been broken, they feel violated and become angry.
4. DISTRUST ? Anger leads to a new kind of distrust as survivors ask, ?How can I trust the managers any more? Look what they did to all these people.? All workers have some measure of distrust for those who have authority over them, but that distrust grows in a layoff atmosphere. And that makes it hard to feel warm, close and excited about the future, for the workers or the company.
5. ANXIETY ? Survivors experience a feeling of sadness for others and uneasiness about everything in general. ?There used to be a lot of love, caring and mutual support,? they say. Now everyone is anxious and very suspicious.
6. INSECURITY ? The downsized atmosphere makes people very insecure. As a result, insecurity turns people inward. It lowers self-esteem and causes suspicion. Insecurity hurts teams and cooperation, and fosters self-preservation. This is not the atmosphere management had in mind when they started the wonderful restructuring and re-engineering process.
7. DEPRESSION ? Finally, survivors become depressed, which is the opposite of the hope management expected. Depression is a black cloud. It comes when people feel powerless to affect circumstances, and they become resigned to the fact that they could be next. The dream of restructuring or re-engineering was to create a more effective and efficient workforce ? but instead of progress there is paralysis.
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
To lift the paralysis and honor what?s really happening, it?s important to recognize that change means loss. Change makes people feel uncomfortable and affects their equilibrium. Also realize that in order to adjust to change, we have to acknowledge that it affects people both emotionally and relationally.
The solution is to put in place a process that takes people from restructuring through to revitalization?to allow them to vent before they can create new vision.
Can survivors become healthy and productive? Yes, but it won?t happen if we just leave it to time. People need to release their emotions, express their feelings, and grieve the loss of co-workers before they can find hope for the future. Consider treating ?survivors? sickness? with interventions and workshops that help everyone ?grow? through change, not just ?go? through it.
As a professional speaker and trainer, Dr. Gary Copeland has successfully led both corporations and individuals through the challenges of layoffs, mergers, acquisitions and other organizational changes for more than 25 years with over 1,500 audiences. He is an educator and motivator offering insight and practical wisdom for managing life's challenges and changes through keynotes, seminars, breakout sessions and consulting. His mission: "To help people process the emotional and relational impact of change."
