How People Respond to Change During Layoffs
During times of change and uncertainty, you can anticipate some predictable issues, problems, and opportunities. Sometimes people are unaware that they are experiencing these. Downsizing and layoffs introduce many different changes in an organization including change in how comfortable and secure each individual feels within the organization.
For instance, during any change, members of an organization have:
- Different ways of regarding change. Some people have difficulty accepting and adjusting to change; others will relish the changes and view them as great opportunities. Some people initiate change; others prefer the status quo.
- Different amounts of experience and practice in change management. (What is devastating to one individual may excite another or only mildly irritate a third person.) Theoretically, people become better at managing change with experience. In this era of constant change, I do believe this is true. People develop an immunity with their frequent experience of change. Despite this, don't downplay the potential reaction to and experience of change, for various individuals.
- Different ways of reacting to change. Some people need to "talk it out". Others suffer silently. Some find relief in complaining. Some talk and talk and talk, but are really supportive of the change. Others find ways to sabotage changes and undermine efforts to move forward. (Think about colleagues who have experienced divorce. Some talk about it constantly; others are silent and withdrawn.)
- Different amounts of change occurring in other areas of their lives. While massive change may provide experience, an individual who is experiencing vast amounts of change in other aspects of his life, has less time, energy, and commitment available to deal with work changes.
- Different amounts of impact from the current changes and stress producing situations. A person who finds her job completely changed will experience more distress than an individual who is asked to write an extra feature article each week.
- Different amounts and types of support from their spouse, significant other, children, friends, supervisor, and coworkers. Each of us has a support system; when change is in process, we test the effectiveness of that system. Any forewarning people receive of downsizing should include information on how to build a support system at work and home.
All of these and other issues impact the ability of each individual to manage work place change, to continue to function productively at work. It is important to recognize that people may not be capable of performing exactly as they have in the past during times of intense change.
How People Experience Change
People experience personal distress during changes such as downsizing. This distress can include illness, defensiveness, low energy, lack of motivation, difficulty concentrating, accidents, and interpersonal conflict. Often individuals blame themselves for being weak or for their inability "to handle it."
Sometimes organizations label people as “resisters” when, in reality, people move through the stages of change at different rates. How an organization introduces change has a profound impact as well. “People don’t mind change; they mind being changed,” is a statement organizations need to take to heart. In a downsizing, people experience “being changed.” Thus, ownership of the changes is more difficult to create.
People form deep attachments to their coworkers, their work groups, their companies, their organizational structures and systems, their personal responsibilities, and their ways of accomplishing work. (If you find this difficult to believe, try changing an individual’s work hours by even fifteen minutes, or establish a dress code for a work environment that encourages casual dress.)
When anything that is important or close to people is disturbed, whether by personal choice or through a larger organizational process over which they have no control, a transition period occurs. During this transition, people can expect to experience a period of letting go of the old ways as they begin moving toward and integrating the new.
As the Human Resources professional, manager, supervisor, leader, change agent or sponsor, you need to understand these issues around change and resistance to change. You must support the people in your organization through the downsizing experience. You need to understand the normal progression of change; during layoffs and a downsizing you cannot expect an immediate return to total productivity. Give your survivors a break.
