Labor & Employment Law

Forgetting about the Survivors in a Reorganization is Costly

By Michael Fitzgibbon

MSNBC has an article about what to do with the empty cubicles resulting from all of the terminations.  I found it an unusual read, but, to me, it emphasized that the survivors of corporate restructuring have their own ghosts to deal with.  They are, on the one hand, expected to pull on the oars and right the ship while, on the other, looking over their shoulders to see if their next to go. 

I've written and spoken about this topic a number of times and continue to find it discouraging how little thought many organizations put into anticipating and proactively addressing the concerns of this group in many downsizings.  The MSNBC article notes:

"Emotionally, workers look around the empty office, and it brings the depth of the economic crisis home for them in a personal way," says Leslie Seppinni, a clinical psychologist. "They wonder: 'Am I next?' and a tremendous amount of anxiety and depression builds as they try to figure out what steps to take next."

Empathetically dealing with this group can go a long way in getting and keeping people focussed on the business task at hand while, hopefully, keeping them from jumping ship at the time they are needed the most.  

It would be unrealistic to think that survivors of corporate layoffs will not have concerns.  Failing to do anything to directly and proactively address their concerns, and simply expecting that "life goes on" will increase the uncertainty and flight-risk.  Trust is hard to ask for when uncertainty abounds.  Trust must be gained through good times so that there are deposits in the bank in bad times. 

Full post as published by Thoughts from a Management Lawyer on June 09, 2009 (boomark / email).