For most, the idea of keeping their job during a layoff is good news. But for those who have lived through a mass layoff, the reality can be much more complex.
This is the reality of one tech worker who recently posted on Reddit of how around 300 employees were laid off from their company. Over 70 from the employee's own team lost their jobs. This figure had many people who knew the dismissed workers as friends and coworkers for years left reeling
The employee said that they were notified of layoffs via a short meeting on their calendars which in reality was a two to three minute conversation. There were none of the detailed explanations and justifications, little empathy or understanding even over a decade of service and exemplary performance.
While they said they were grateful there was no immediate threat to their own position, the motivation to return to work the next day was difficult to find. The real question was how to pick up the pieces and return to work as normal when a large chunk of one's colleagues are gone.
Survivor's guilt or the reality for workers following layoffs
Psychologists will tell you that this mix of emotions is similar to what people may experience following a major crisis, and it's called survivor's guilt. The phenomenon is not exclusive to life threatening situations. It can occur at work after a layoff, with those who remain left feeling a mix of relief, sadness and in some cases even guilt.
After watching 70% of his team lose their jobs, a tech worker asked how to stay motivated Let's take an example of walking into the office every morning and seeing seven out of every ten workstations empty. Those that had worked beside you, who had helped you through tough projects and celebrated your successes with you are all gone. It's not just the obvious changes that make adapting difficult but the sudden shift in dynamics at the office. Whether it's fewer meetings or the sudden loss of a support network at work, the shift can be difficult to readapt to This is a large part of why motivation often plummets following a layoff. People don't just work for a paycheck; it's often the people they work with that help drive a person's success. While many companies will plan around cost-cutting measures when it comes to layoffs, the emotional trauma of the remaining employees can be just as costly, if not more so.
What other workers who've been through layoffs say about the next steps
Those who have been through a layoff in the past have had much to say about the experience of those who are told to return to work the next day. One worker on the same Reddit post recounted a similar experience to the tech worker above when they survived a layoff that decimated the team they had worked with for a decade. The user said that the employee that had survived the longest (and had been laid off last) had worked with the team for twenty years.