As of the end of May, over 40 million people have lost their jobs-- either laid off or furloughed. A couple of weeks ago, many of my colleagues were added to the numbers of those furloughed. This left me in a state of grief and gratitude, an antinomy. I have come to learn that these seemingly contradictory feelings can live in the same space. To try to distract myself, I turned to the research and discovered a phenomenon called Layoff Survivor Syndrome, which consists of a slew of counterproductive emotions and behaviors experienced by those who remain employed after a downsizing. That feeling we’re having… it's a thing, and, in a strange way, ends up involving alcohol.

Layoff Survivors and Suffering

Let’s talk more about Layoff Survivor Syndrome. Kusum Sahdev, in his article, "Revisiting the survivor syndrome: The role of leadership in implementing downsizing" states that, “the reactions shown by survivors include emotions such as anger, insecurity, a perception of unfairness, depression, reduced risk taking and motivation" (Sahdev, 2004). On the surface, you might think this is ridiculous; those who survive a layoff shouldn't feel anything but gratitude and gratefulness. Similarly, you may look at the unfortunate fate of your furloughed or layed-off colleagues and say, “well I could have it worse”.  But research shows that comparing my station to someone else’s isn't helpful. Jane E. Dutton, Kristina M. Workman, and Ashley E. Hardin-- who have done extensive research on compassion at work-- say this about suffering: "The experience is deeply personal, meaning that even if two people encounter the same difficult situation, whether, why, and how they suffer are likely to be unique" (Dutton, Workman, & Hardin, 2014). 

So, there is a slew of negative emotions and counterproductive behaviors that survivors of a downsizing are more susceptible to. I have embodied these for the last few weeks. And it makes sense. As colleagues disappear from the office, job insecurity increases, workloads grow to compensate for the newly missing teammates, engagement and morale diminish-- all while the organization asks you to continue innovating and problem-solving because they need to stay solvent. So how do you cope? How do you handle these stresses? Though the details of each downsizing are unique, the coping mechanism among layoff survivors is strangely common. Research shows that many resort to drinking alcohol… lots of it. 

Layoffs, Furloughs, and Alcohol

In a national study of U.S. workers during the 2008 Great Recession, Michael Frone states, "the stress experienced by downsizing survivors, especially during a recession, may motivate an increase in alcohol use in an effort to reduce the experienced affective distress, as well as reduce perseverative cognitions that prolong psychological exposure to the negative event" (Frone, 2018). Translation: people drink more because they need to cope with the fact that their company’s downsizing puts them in a precarious job situation. In essence, his study showed that those employees who survive a downsizing drink significantly more than those who work for companies that do not go through downsizing. Dr. Frone didn't only study total alcohol consumption, he delineated alcohol use into, "usual frequency," "usual number of drinks,” "binge drinking," and "drinking to intoxication". The last two categories are especially important as they can be acutely more detrimental. He found that, "the number of drinks usually consumed per drinking day and the frequency of binge drinking and drinking to intoxication were higher among younger downsizing survivors" (Frone, 2018). Younger workers were those 18–36 years old, whereas older workers were 37–66 years old. 

Why Does This Matter?

Though there is a large body of research on unemployment and alcoholism, this study focuses on those who are still employed. This makes this study pertinent and appropriate for us right now. Over the last few months, millions of people have found themselves to be layoff survivors. This has left many of them inundated with a slew of new negative emotions and instabilities. These same employees are understandably being asked by their organizations to be more committed, more innovative, more creative, more steadfast in order to help the organization survive the downturn. Many are turning to excessive alcohol consumption, regardless of their age. Why? Because it's easy and it's there. People are now working from home in droves, economic and physical health crises are adding immense stress, and now many are experiencing Layoff Survival Syndrome… and the governments have deemed liquor stores "essential businesses".

What to Do?

For some downsizing survivors, moderating alcohol intake is as easy as being aware-- knowing that you are more susceptible during this time and making adjustments to avoid addiction. For many, it is not so easy. We need to learn from what happened after the Great Recession over a decade ago, we need to be open about behaviors that our present circumstances can cause, and we need to proactively provide support, compassion, and awareness to this potential problem.

If you know people who are experiencing Layoff Survival Syndrome, don’t judge them for “not being grateful” or for being “upset for no reason”. Research shows this condition is real. Your "perspective" will likely induce and exacerbate shame, which isn't helpful. Organizations and managers need to be even more cognizant of the fact that their remaining post-downsize employees are more prone to excessive alcohol consumption. Organizations can proactively provide extra support to ensure their employees stay healthy and safe.

In Compassion for Work, Dutton, Workman, and Hardin state that, "Compassion from another person shapes a sufferer’s sensemaking about oneself (e.g., seeing the self as more capable), one’s peers (e.g., viewing one’s peers as more humane), and one’s organization (e.g., seeing the organization as caring), in all cases changing interpretations to be more positive" (Dutton, Workman, & Hardin, 2014). Organizations and leaders are asking a lot of those employees who remain. It's not enough to expect them to be thankful that they still have a job. Be proactive, be compassionate, be understanding. Do not be afraid to lean in and offer the support your remaining employees need as they learn to navigate complex and seemingly contradictory feelings of surviving a downsize.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Has your relationship with alcohol changed through layoffs? Project Rework wants to hear from you! Share your experiences and feedback on the LinkedIn, or over email. If you learned something new today, share this article with a colleague or friend.

References

Dutton, J. E., Workman, K. M., & Hardin, A. E. (2014). Compassion at Work. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, (1), 277-304. doi:10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091221

Frone, M. R. (2018). Organizational downsizing and alcohol use: A national study of U.S. workers during the Great Recession. Addictive Behaviors, 77, 107-113. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.09.016

Long, H. (2020, April 16). U.S. now has 22 million unemployed, wiping out a decade of job gains. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/16/unemployment-claims-coronavirus/

Rhee, S., Hur, W., & Kim, M. (2016). The relationship of coworker incivility to job performance and the moderating role of self-efficacy and compassion at work: The job demands-resources (JD-R) approach. Journal of Business and Psychology, 32(6), 711-726. doi:10.1007/s10869-016-9469-2

Sahdev, K. (2004). Revisiting the survivor syndrome: The role of leadership in implementing downsizing. European

Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 13(2), 165-196.