Don’t forget the survivors
During this current recession there is a lot of talk about redundancies and those who are made redundant. Unfortunately little is talked about that other group of victims – the survivors.
That’s right, the survivors. Most people automatically assume that the survivors are the lucky ones. After all they escaped redundancy and therefore they must be lucky. In many workplaces the opposite seems more appropriate.
There are four emotions that hit survivors in a redundancy situation.
1. Yes there is relief about still having a job. This can lead to a sense of euphoria and possibly celebration.
2. But that can quickly turn into guilt. “Should I be celebrating when poor old Ravi has gone, and what about Mary, she was in tears when she left. It was heartbreaking.”
3. Guilt can linger for some time, but then those people who are leaving or who have left tell the survivors about their redundancy package. Where the employer has been as generous as possible this can often lead to a feeling of envy. “Typical isn’t it. They walk off with a great big lump sum that they can put in the bank and we are the ones that are left to pick up the pieces.”
4. Finally the resentment sets in. Once the redundancies have taken place the work environment changes. If the cuts have been dramatic then the survivors may find themselves working in half empty offices or surrounded by empty workstations. They may also find that they are sitting at ‘Jennifer’s old desk’. Worse still, the senior management may well expect them to cover the exact same amount of work as the previously larger teams. So their workload goes up.
That is why it is so important to put in place some support for the survivors.
- Communicating what is happening to them and what the future will bring is very important
- Giving support and coaching to help them handle the new situation is also vital
- Allow survivors time to talk as small groups to share their feelings and to discuss what they think should happen next
- Get them involved in some of the decision making
- Show them that they are not next by offering some training, even if it is in-house and run by internal people.
It’s an imperfect world and it will take time for things to settle down, but the more you consider the survivors the greater your chances of getting a happy functioning workplace once more.