Maintaining performance after redundancy

I came back to the country this week to see yet more have been made redundant (as many as 80,000 in the last two weeks). That's 80,000 husbands or wives, sons or daughters, brothers or sisters. Every one of them with a story to tell of how they worked and gave of themselves only to have their efforts rewarded by losing their jobs.

That's 80,000 out of work and if only 1% are suffering badly, that's 800 unfortunate people who will be going through anguish and pain and rage and other emotions that stop them from seeing the light that might be at the end of the tunnel.

The impact on self-esteem can be harsh and what makes us think only 1% are impacted? What if it's only 5% - that's 4,000 people! What about the families of those made redundant? What about those left behind in the workplace? We rarely think about the impact on the 'survivors' (something that David Noer was writing about 16 years ago in Healing the Wounds [Jossey-Bass, California]).

When organisations make redundancies they leave people behind - the 'survivors'; these survivors feel emotions too, just as those who have lost their jobs - though the feelings of the survivors will include grief, anxiety and fear.

Whilst organisations try and help those they have 'let go' little thought is given to the survivors who must maintain performance. Noer gives a telling metaphor or a family with caring parents and good children who find they can no longer afford to keep all their children. Previously the family had breakfast together and this was a warm and happy time. One day the Mother tells the children they can no longer afford to keep them all so two have to go but the two will be helped through this period by moving in with relatives. The following day the family (minus the two) meet for breakfast and all evidence of the missing two has been removed. The remaining two are expected to be grateful and work harder around the house, now that they are two 'short' for the chores.

How do you suppose the two remaining children were feeling?
Were their emotions different from the two who had to leave?

Organisations need to do more to help those who remain, as well as help those who have to go or performance will inevitably suffer.