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

4.6. Reduced Risk Taking and Motivation

Employees at all levels saw a direct relationship between the layoffs and reduced risk taking among the survivors:

• "Some of the folks I have talked to in the last couple of months have specifically said it's the ones most outspoken that get hit. [We] had sales representatives who had exceeded quota for several years in a row, and then suddenly they're workforce reduced. They were the pushy ones saying, 'I need more product, I need this, I need that,' and the perception was that we've lost the risk takers. We lost the people who are willing to speak up." (executive)

• "The most dangerous [result] is refusing to take any risks at all. Keeping your head down. You see that from the executive level all the way ...