Healing the Wounds: Overcoming the Trauma of Layoffs and Revitalizing Downsized Organizations

1.5. Issues to Be Explored

Metaphors or analogies tease out underlying issues and move them past our defense mechanisms. The metaphor of the surviving children allows survivors to bypass their denial. They begin to understand the dynamics of layoff survivor sickness by looking at the symptoms through the experience of others. This metaphor, along with the stories of Juanita, Charles, George, and Betsy, illustrate the following layoff survivor issues, which we will explore in this book.

1.5.1. Common Symptoms

Those who remain in hierarchical organizations after layoffs share feelings of anger, fear, anxiety, and distrust. These feelings are particularly strong when the organizations have been nurturing and have captured the spirit of their employees. ...