When layoffs occur, those left standing initially feel relief and are grateful for still having their jobs. But those feelings quickly wane and are replaced by feelings of stress, resentment and burnout.

Since there are now fewer employees and the same amount of work to be done, layoff survivors are “rewarded” for having made it through the layoff by being asked to fill the void left by their past co-workers.  Many are now handling the work of two people. 

To accommodate growing task lists, layoff survivors are usually spending more time at work or working from home on the evening and weekends to keep their heads above water.

This extra burden of responsibilities leads most survivors to become stressed, burnt out, and resentful that they have to bear the brunt of the corporation’s cost savings measures.

The bad news is, in an economy such as the one being experienced today, the layoffs are still going to occur.  So the next best thing is to find ways of coping with this layoff syndrome. Below are a few suggestions for avoiding stress, burn out and resentment.

• Don’t over-commit. When two or more important projects come up at the same time, remember to remind your supervisor and get his or her help to identify which task is priority. You can do this indirectly by communicating back your responsibilities and asking for advice and establish appropriate timelines.

• Give yourself a breather. Sometimes it seems like we have so much to do that the best thing to do is power through.  The reality is that we are not as mentally sharp and even more drained at the end of the day.  Plan out a few five to ten minute breaks for you throughout the day.  If you find it hard to remember, schedule them on your calendar. Get up, walk around or check out the news on the Internet; just anything besides work. Also, be sure to take a lunch break.  Eat outside, go for a walk, or go shopping. Take a personal day if you feel like you are about to crack.  Ultimately, taking a few time-outs will serve you and the company better.

• Cut the power. Designate a time of the day/night to turn off the electronics, marking the end of the day. You may not be able to get away with this every day, but when you find yourself getting caught up in discussions that can wait until tomorrow, that is your cue that it is time to shut down for the evening.

• Explore work flexibility. Do you find yourself saying “I could get more work done from home?” If so, you might want to explore the possibility of working from home one to two days per week.  This will cut your commute time and help shorten your workday.  Although not all employers are open to flexible workdays, it never hurts to explore.   More employers today are open to offering telecommuting and other options that may help to provide a better work/life balance.

• Don’t listen to the speculation. I cannot express how important this is for your own mental stability.  So many rumors can be started through speculation and most of the time it is just not true.  Employees become even more fearful and stressed about layoffs based on organizational rumors.  Ignore speculation and focus on the task at hand.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 5:06 pm and is filed under Lay Offs, Work/Life Balance, Workplace. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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