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ANOTHER ROUND OF STRESS

Layoff survivors have even more to worry
about than if they'll be next
By Barbara B. Buchholz

"When people worry, they trigger reactions that shut down their thinking process
and move into the mode of fight or flight."
Psychologist and author Bill Crawford, Ph.D.

The economy's continued roller-coaster ride has spurred many businesses to slash payrolls and look for other ways to improve revenues and profits.

But worry lines aren't just showing up on the faces of those receiving pink slips. The real life survivors are concerned about a lot more than who they can boot off their corporate island to save their necks in the next rounds of axings.

In addition to sometimes suffering from "survivor guilt," many employees wonder whether the improved benefits and work/life initiatives added in recent years will soon be dinosaurs. They also worry if they'll have to take on more work to compensate for their departed colleagues and if they'll be supervised by new bosses, additional stressors.

Perhaps most important, they're angst-ridden whether they, or the teams they may be part of, will be among the next wave of employees to get shot at, even when supervisors tell them the firings are finished, says Lake Forest consultant John Messervey.

They should find ways to cope, whether through exercises, group bull sessions or the ability to complain to a boss or a union about grievances," said William J. Sonnenstuhl, a professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations in Ithaca, NY, and associate director of its R. Brinkley Smithers Institute for Alcohol-Related Workplace Studies.

Whether they're concerned about their job or feel blissfully secure, employees should not express blind loyalty, however, says Sonnenstuhl. They should have ready an updated resume, know a career counselor to ask about the state of their industry, marketability, salary potential and any skill shortcomings. And they should be able to network discreetly for another job. But don't just jump at any offer, experts warn. While another company's welcome mat may look appealing, employees should never jump from fear. "When people worry, they trigger reactions that shut down their thinking process and move into the mode of fight or flight," says psychologist Bill Crawford, Ph.D., author of "All Stressed Up & Nowhere To Go!"