Layoff survivor sickness: What it is and what to do about it.

Noer, David M.

doi:10.1037/10252-008

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…3 29 Alternatively, feelings of guilt and anger among survivors might act as powerful stressors, reducing employees' resources of coping with an additional stressor, an adverse work environment. 30 A third possible interpretation concerns organisational justice. Several studies show that a low level of organisational justice is associated with reduced health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organisational downsizing and work stress: testing synergistic health effects in employed men and women

Dragano

Verde²,

Siegrist³

2005

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

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Study objective: To systematically study the separate and combined effects of organisational downsizing and work related stress on a measure of health in ''survivors of layoffs''. Design: Using Rothman's approach, separate and combined effects of the two exposures in estimating the risk of poor self rated health (work related symptoms) are analysed in a large sample of male and female employees. Setting: 0.1% cross sectional sample of the German working population. Participants: 12 240 men and 10 319 women, aged 16 to 59 years, surveyed in 1998-1999. Main results: Compared with the reference group, the group of participants who were simultaneously exposed to downsizing and work related stress (effort-reward imbalance) exhibited odds ratios (OR) of three or more work related symptoms that were by far higher (OR 4.41 in men and OR 5.37 in women) than those associated with single exposures. Altogether 21% (men) and 31% (women) of the effect size of the combined exposure was attributable to synergistic interaction. Conclusion: Although reduced health associated with organisational downsizing is partly attributable to an increase in work related stress these findings show an additional synergy effect produced by the combined exposure to both conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organisational downsizing and work stress: testing synergistic health effects in employed men and women

Dragano

Verde²,

Siegrist³

2005

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

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“…Davy et al (1991) discussed the need for employees to have a stake in the success of their organizations' transition. Noer (1998) described an unquenchable thirst for information that characterized the psychological state of most downsized employees. The experience of downsizing is often chaotic; in the midst of this uncertainty, it is not surprising that employees try desperately to regain some form of control.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a time ofdownsizing, there is a real need for clear and open communication during all stages of the process (Brockner, 1992;Caudron & Hayward, 1996;Noer, 1998). Cameron et al (1993) suggested that there is a strong need for top-down vision combined with bottom-up input.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survivors of Downsizing: Helpful and Hindering Experiences

Amundson¹,

Borgen²,

Jordan³

et al. 2004

The Career Development Quart

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Thirty‐one downsizing survivors from both the private and public sector were interviewed to determine incidents that either helped or hindered their transition through 1 or more organizational downsizings. A critical incident technique was used to analyze and organize the data around themes that emerged. Themes were represented by both positive and negative incidents and were grouped using transition phases. Results support and add new detail and insight into topics developed in previous studies. Implications are discussed for organizations' handling of downsizing or restructuring as well as reducing negative and enhancing positive influences and events. Counseling recommendations are offered for easing survivors through the transition.

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“…Likewise, most of the literature examining survivors has taken a similar view (Brockner et al, 1988). In fact, the term 'lay-oV survivor sickness' has been coined to help describe the common symptoms of guilt, lack of organizational commitment, and fear that survivors often experience following a downsizing (Noer, 1990(Noer, , 1993(Noer, , 1997. Other researchers have used the Kubler-Ross (1969) model to describe survivors' reactions as analogous to the grieving process that occurs after divorce or the loss of a loved one (Newman & Krzysto ak, 1993).…”

Section: Work Transitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survivor reactions to organizational downsizing: Does time ease the pain?

Allen

Freeman²,

Russell

et al. 2001

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

191

167

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The present study used work role transitions theory as a guiding framework for examining changes in survivors' attitudes following an organizational downsizing. A total of 106 managers experiencing a downsizing provided data regarding organizational commitment, turnover intentions, job involvement, role clarity, role overload, satisfaction with top management, and satisfaction with job security at three different times. Although the results generally indicated that downsizing had a significant impact on work attitudes, that the impact varied over time, and that the initial impact was generally negative; different patterns of results among the job attitudes studied were also observed. For example, satisfaction with top management increased across time, while job involvement decreased. Findings also indicated that changes in role clarity, role overload, satisfaction with top management, and satisfaction with job security were significantly related to changes in organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Changes in job involvement also moderated several relationships such that there was a stronger relationship between the independent variable and the outcome variable when job involvement was higher than when job involvement was lower. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.

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Layoff survivor sickness: What it is and what to do about it.

Abstract: Some of the ideas in this chapter have been discussed by the author in Healing the Wounds: Overcoming the lzauma of Layoffs and Revitalizing Downsized Organizations (Jossey-Bass, 1993) and 'zeadership i n an Age of Lap&" (Issues and Observatrbns, 13131,1993).

Cited by 16 publications

References 5 publications

Organisational downsizing and work stress: testing synergistic health effects in employed men and women

Organisational downsizing and work stress: testing synergistic health effects in employed men and women

Survivors of Downsizing: Helpful and Hindering Experiences

Survivor reactions to organizational downsizing: Does time ease the pain?

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