The Employee View Of Layoffs 2

The Employee View Of Layoffs ^[2]

A national survey of 1214 laid off white-collar workers was conducted to gain an understanding of company practices regarding employees who had been recently laid off (more than 70 percent of the respondents were laid off within 4 months of the survey). Employees averaged approximately $75,000 total annual income before the layoff, with an average age of approximately 30 years. The typical industries represented were finance, consulting, and legal fields. Table 9-3 provides insight into employee attitudes regarding the conduct of layoffs.

Understanding employee attitudes is critical to gain a clear picture of the lasting impression and reputation of the company. The more consistent the business practices of the company, the more the following will occur: more personal communications methods, better reasons communicated, fewer security measures required, and better employee attitudes regarding the employer. At the same time extreme measures requiring people to leave immediately are sometimes necessary to meet company security objectives. In summary, the company must consider the impact on employee attitudes when establishing the layoff process.

^[2]Survey conducted by Jennifer L. Todd, and Chris Ryan, Senior Manager of Anderson’s Human Capital Practice in conjunction with Vault, Inc.