Healing the Wounds: Overcoming the Trauma of Layoffs and Revitalizing Downsized Organizations (Jossey-Bass Management Series) (Paperback)

Why all these negative impacts from lay-offs? Simple, no one took any steps to prepare the personnel for the changes of work and values. The managers who initiated the lay-offs are still stuck in denial themselves - their method of denial is sometimes "When the going gets tough, the tough get mean!" Denial is the main reason that the problems go untreated. Symptoms of denial are Gallows humor, death paradigms or figures of speech, "We have to be strong", "We are only doing what is necessary", "Chainsaw AL", etc.. - anything except a direct reference or description of what is being done. No one should be laughing at actions taken or at the resulting pain.

Basic economic and social changes have resulted in a paradigm shift for the employer - employee relationship. The changes are summarized as:

(OLD PARADIGM) vs *NEW PARADIGM* = (People as assets to be developed) vs * as costs to be reduced* & (Nurturing) vs *Violent* & (Develop) vs *Take out* & (Help) vs *Shoot* & (Grow) vs *Terminate* & (Long term) vs *Short term* & (a carrrer) vs *a job* & (make an employee) vs *buy an employee* & (Synergistic) vs *Reductionist* & (build up) vs *make smaller* & (develop) vs *cut*

[My own comment - It is interesting to note that corporations developed a system of codependency in order to reduce costs and to maintain valuable employees. This has resulted, over a long period of time, in too many employees. We are experiencing a violent "weeding of the garden". This situation may turn around shortly due to the increasing decline in available employees (zero unemployment). The last time society underwent such an upheaval was in Pre WWII Germany. The German economy exploded, but the resulting unmanaged social pressures caused a World War.]

CURES AND FIXES BEGIN WITH CHAPTER 7 Level One: Manage the Layoff Process (Chapter 7) Practice "Clean Kills" / Redundant Communication is Essential / "Managers should think of how they would behave when they are the authority figure at a funeral or during a time of crisis, confusion, or emotional tension in a small group or family" / Avoid Control Traps (Managing Communication (limiting information)) & (Managing Emotion (find a way to release emotions is best)) & (Managing an Unproductive Image (don't fake it)) / Lead from the Heart and Follow with the Head / Tell the truth and never say never / Avoid Denial Traps (deal with the problem directly) / Insure that you use Fairness, Equity, Participation, Caretaking, and Prior Notification (the more the better).

Level Two: Facilitate the Necessary Grieving (Chapter 8) Read all of chapter 8 - This chapter is loaded with information. Help the organization through the process of Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Outsiders are often necessary to facilitate this process as all of the insiders are too involved.

Level Three: Break the Codependency Chain and Empower People (Chapter 9) We will all have to take on the characteristics of Davy Crocket. He lived in a wild environment and depended on his own skills and resources. This resulted in a greater sense of freedom and higher self esteem. Change your mindset from Codependency to Independence

"A primary symptom of codependency is that the codependent's sense of value and identity is based on pleasing, and often controlling, not himself or herself but someone or something else. Codependents make themselves into permanent victims."

"Codependents are all collectively conspiring to be something that they do not want to be individually."

"Again and again in my practice, I see employees at all levels desperately trying to regain control of a decaying and nonproductive work environment."

"The paradox of codependency is that the controllers are always controlled; that is what makes them codependent." -- "they need to let go, to admit the folly of their attempts to control an uncontrollable situation."

[The truth shall set you free.]

Level Four: Build a New Employment Relationship (Chapter 10)

[You must read this chapter in full - I can't compress it.]

THE GREAT WAKE-UP CALL Please read chapters 11 and on for an understanding of the new relationship.