Preventing survivor sickness after a layoff

by Joanne G. Sujansky

The current round of corporate and organizational layoffs has offered a myriad of challenges to both management and their remaining employees. This is true for any company, where quality and employee performance can make or break an organization.

Those who remain in an organization after downsizing have been recently coined "survivors" - and how they feel has been described as "survivor sickness."

The empty workstations speak volumes about a massive and uninvited change that has affected their organization. Unfortunately, it can also affect their work performance. There is a shift between the perceived contract of workplace trust between employee and management, with remaining employees having negative feelings such as fear, anger, depression and denial. Add to this an increased workload on already busy employees, and you may well be facing lowered productivity and retention problems.

Everyone knows that the best medicine is often preventative, and this is also true with "survivor sickness." A plan to help your remaining employees thrive in a new environment is an important part of any downsizing and should be developed before the first person is let go.

Any post downsizing plan should follow what I call the "ABCs of Change."

• Acknowledge that your employees are upset and allow them to express their feelings. It is often a good idea to bring in outside counseling to help the process along.

• Begin anew, re-establish your vision and give people a reason for continuing to move the organization forward. This includes reminding employees of both long- and short-term goals while continuing to encourage them.

• Construct and communicate your plan for change. Organize a planning team consisting of management and employees to anticipate and deal with problems. Once this is in place, make sure you communicate the plan so that responsibilities are clear and there are no misunderstandings.

Along with constructing and implementing an effective plan, you should spend time coaching. During downsizing, this style of managing is best, as it both plays to your employees’ strengths and more effectively corrects their weaknesses.

Best coaching practices include:
• Involving employees - Actively solicit ideas from employees and also keep in mind that your employees may be aware of potential problems existing under management’s radar.
• Providing feedback - Acknowledge achievement (catch your employees doing something right) and also offer constructive criticism that helps employees understand how they can improve.
• Offering training - Employees appreciate any workplace training they can receive. It not only builds their skills, but it also helps to keep them on the job. Offer a variety of development opportunities, including online, classroom and on-the-job.

Also, despite the tight job market, you still need to be concerned about retention.

You can’t afford to lose good people when your present staff is already stretched to its limits. Burnout and fear of being a victim in another round of layoffs may cause your staff to consider leaving before things get beyond what they can tolerate. However, following the ABCs of change and coaching your employees will keep your workplace superstars in the organization.

In addition, never lose sight of the fact that the little things matter. Keep upbeat around your employees, continue events such as picnics and holiday parties, recognize and reward accomplishments - their benefits far outweigh their costs. Small investments in your employees go a long way as opposed to the heavy expenses incurred by turnover. 

It is very important that your organization develops and implements a plan to help your survivors; you need everyone to be at peak performance. Taking these steps will ensure your survivors have the resiliency to bounce back and thrive in a new environment.

Joanne G. Sujansky helps leaders to increase productivity and inspire loyalty. As a Certified Speaking Professional, she speaks on leadership, change and motivation. Sujansky is the author of six books including, The Power of Partnering, The Keys to Putting Change in Your Pocket and Training Games for Managing Change. For more information on customized keynote speaking and consulting services, call 724-942-7900, or e-mail at jsujansky@keygrp.com.

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