Facing the Emotional Fallout of Layoffs in the Workplace

In light of the deepening economic crisis, I have been contacted by several different publications for interviews to discuss various ways that businesses have been affected. Time and again I have heard myself say to the reporter on the other end of the phone, “It won’t last forever.” However, it feels like it might to many workers affected by layoffs in businesses. The people I am referring to are not those who have lost their jobs, but those who are experiencing the negative effects in a different way. Those who have been left behind. The effects range from anxiety that they could be next, to confusion regarding their new and increased work responsibilities, to feelings of guilt that their co-workers and friends have lost the very job that they still maintain. How can we, as business leaders, help them?

Recently, the focus of my role as a business psychologist and consultant has been coaching business leaders to help employees who are left behind after a layoff situation deal with the emotional toll that has been taken. I often compare the devastation of layoffs in the workplace to a raging forest fire. The landscape of many businesses has been altered, but when the brush is finally cleared away, new growth can begin to occur within a year or two. So what can leaders in the workplace do to ensure that their employees are prepared to face such radical changes in their jobs, and to help them understand their vital roles in the re-emergence of their company after the “fire”?

The first step for company leaders is to become extremely visible and interactive with employees on a daily basis. Clear and open communication regarding the current state of affairs is key to helping re-establish trust. Holding daily, 15 minute “touch base” meetings to discuss priorities and goals can go a long way toward alleviating stress for workers. The employees who remain after a layoff will have new responsibilities, increased workload, and are often members of reorganized teams or departments. Bringing people together for lunch meetings, for example, where questions and concerns are addressed, is an effective method for opening the lines of communication between managers and employees. The result will be a more focused and cohesive group.

Right now, leaders have the unique opportunity, through the rebirth of their organizations, to discover what their greatest strengths are, and to communicate them daily so that confidence can be instilled in their employees. Layoffs in the workplace have been extremely difficult emotionally for those who remain. Leaders must communicate that they are in this together, while continually giving feedback, and recognizing high performance in a constructive, caring, mentoring, and coaching manner. Creating a team approach, helping employees remain resilient after the stress of layoffs, and learning how to best work together should be the focus of today’s leaders.