Layoff survivor syndrome hits India

By siliconindia   |   Tuesday, 23 June 2009, 19:34 IST   |    4 Comments
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Layoff survivor syndrome hits India
Bangalore: The random nature of layoffs happening in several organizations has not only affected the employees who lost their jobs, but also those people who survive the axe. They live with a fear of getting fired from the job. Psychologists call it the layoff survivor syndrome and it is evident that it has started to spread like a contagion. "What comes out as layoff survivor syndrome is a whole lot of anxiety about their future and guilt that they alone have survived. They have nightmares that they have lost their jobs or their colleagues committing suicide," said Dr Vasundhara Cartick, a Psychologist and Consultant, who has worked closely with layoff survivors. Economic Times spoke to an employee Akash Mehra (name changed) who works with one of India's top five IT firms. After several employees in his firm got fired from their jobs, Mehra is scared that he may be the next one who would be asked to go. The emotions playing on his mind are those of anxiety, guilt and fear. The employees say that losing a colleague is akin to losing a sibling. "Most of us work in teams, on projects, and we work day in and out to meet stiff deadlines. There are bonds, and if people are selectively laid off, we also feel the pain. We feel guilty and helpless and that there would not have been layoffs if we all collectively did better as a team," said Mehra. Increased stress levels among the employees are in turn taking a toll on the health of the employees, causing physical illnesses. "Most of the referrals coming to us have also complained of aches, pains and fatigue. But nothing has a medical reason, but purely a psychological basis," said Vasundhara. "Although the recession has for forced many companies to save costs, the firing exercise should always be backed by outplacement assistance for the employees laid off and counseling for those who are retained in the firm," said E.Balaji, Chief-Executive of Ma Foi Managemnet Consultants.