“Layoff survivor syndrome” - A Motivator or A Nightmare...

I think laid off can happen with anyone. It is more like a nightmare for any employee. The employer may use some good words like rightsizing, consolidation, reorganizing etc. but the fact is that you are no more in that job. They dont take into the consideration your loyality, dedication towards the job.

We should not take this (laid off) as a parameter to decide the performance of anyone. If one got laid off does not mean he is not good in his work and vice versa. The circumstances varies.

Layoff in current scenario coming like nightmare as the moment you come to know about the person whom you were coordinating or assisting suddenly laid off, this disturbed me at all and have impact on my mind for few days, as I saw perfomance is not the matter every time some time people are playing their cards or politics just in the name of recessions.

Although life is like flowing water after some day we come back to our normal routine, we are trying to prove ourselves by putting double efforts too and say thanks to God that we are not in the list.

Although layoff is the part of performance management like KRA’s but due to recession layoff becomes the trends in the companies and it has given birth to dirty politics too, who are very well player they are able to save themselves and those are not sometime they have to suffer.

In my opinion it can bring motivation in normal scenario not in current one where I have seen many families life got suffered by this and everytime reason of layoff was not the perfomance.

It is evident that layoff has been severe during 2008-09 and may continue for sometime till the economic recession ends.  There could be different categories of layoff.  It is difficult to identify the companies who are affected by recession.  Some claim that they are recession proof.  Invariably if there is a noxious plan to remove employees either to ease variants in personnel cost or to get rid of non performers and trouble creators, the elimination could be invoked easily during this period.  I have no hesitation in companies who keep abreast of the plan and expenditure, are ethical, care for sustenance of business, end up every year with profitability and good customers base, will not let down their employees. Of course without any discrimination these employers would definitely relieve the non performers who would be detrimental to the company’s achievements.  Recession or no recession will not be a matter of consideration.

Employees, who are prone to phobia of layoff after survival, are definitely subjected to disturbances of the mind which could be disastrous, and chances are that their performance or desire to remain in the same company will be diminished.  This would be a loss to the employer if he is a performer and his assessment of the layoff decision is wrong or not evident.  One suggestion would be to ensure that the layoff of employees is invoked strictly. And without any sign of revealing or informing the survived lay off employees about their amended decision. This would help them to escape the trauma and subsequent repercussion.  Added to the discomfort of the employee are all neurotic symptoms because of the tragic incidences of employees laid off committing suicide.  Needless to say performance appraisal is a better medium of communication to the erring employee who has to be cautioned to take remedial steps.  This would enable the employee to improve and perform better than before.  He would also be indebted to the organization and tune himself to the organization goals.

The one who survives, will get a fresh breath for a while, but what goes in his mind is tomorrow there can be my name in the list..

He starts searchin for a change, gets into Trauma, does not take any financial decisions, etc...