By Genevieve Curtis<\/p>\n
As mass retrenchments become commonplace in Australian workplaces, bosses should spare a thought for those left behind.<\/p>\n
Sympathy is rightly reserved for those who are retrenched but workers who survive job cuts often suffer a loss of morale and an increase in their workload.<\/p>\n
This “survivor syndrome” mentality has crept into workplaces in the wake of financial doom and gloom.<\/p>\n
Usually used to describe war veterans or trauma victims, the term has been adapted to the labour market.<\/p>\n
Organisational psychologists warn that clumsy and mismanaged retrenchments are causing anxiety and guilt among remaining workers.<\/p>\n
“New responsibilities are assigned to workers after job cuts and management does not offer adequate training,” Melbourne Business School program director Carol Gill said.<\/p>\n
“People who survive redundancies often feel guilty for their survival and are hostile towards management.”<\/p>\n
JSA International Communications organisational psychologist Jasmine Sliger said there was an unwritten emotional contract between employers and workers that was vital to workplace stability.<\/p>\n
“It is harder to remain loyal if redundancies are not dealt with in a dignified manner,” Dr Sliger said.<\/p>\n
Job losses had the potential to disrupt intra-office relationships that are pivotal to a smooth workplace.<\/p>\n
“Often employers don’t realise the disruption that retrenchments have on informal communication networks in the office,” Ms Gill said. <\/p>\n
“Bosses need to be politically savvy of office politics. The three golden rules for employers: communicate, communicate, communicate.”<\/p>\n
Dr Sliger said they should look for signs of stress in workers-poor concentration, agitation and forgetfulness. Learning to combat these signs early was essential for workplace productivity.<\/p>\n
“Set a communication plan and continually communicate with employees,” she said. <\/p>\n
“Never discuss changes or announce redundancies via email or paper. People have the right to ask questions.<\/p>\n
“Be realistic with employees, review their training needs and set realistic short-term goals to increase their productivity. Employers must ensure adequate training for employees with new responsibilities or higher workloads.”<\/p>\n
The Daily Telegraph<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Genevieve Curtis As mass retrenchments become commonplace in Australian workplaces, bosses should spare a thought for those left behind. Sympathy is rightly reserved for those who are retrenched but workers who survive job cuts often suffer a loss of morale and an increase in their workload. This “survivor syndrome” mentality has crept into workplaces […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9,3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n