An article in the New York Daily News suggests that employees who are “lucky” enough to keep their jobs while their organization makes layoffs may be worse off than the individuals who get cut.
The writer, Carolyn Kepcher, cites the findings of a book titled Turbulence: Boeing and the State of American Workers and Managers, in which researchers infiltrated a company to observe what happens to employees who stay with an organization that is handing out pink slips.
The investigators found that the workers who kept their jobs had higher rates of binge drinking and depression, when compared to individuals who were laid off.
However, Kepcher points out that adversity oftentimes leads to change.
“Hard times call for innovative solutions, which often means a willingness to let go of cherished routines and processes in favor of ones that work with far less people,” she wrote.
This is not to negate the intense effects of workplace stress that can occur in unstable times. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety reports that anxiety can take a toll on a person’s physical and mental well-being.
As a result, organizations that are experiencing layoffs may want to consider employee wellness programs that provide stress management techniques to staff members who remain a valuable asset to the company.
