Survivor Syndrome: working in times of crisis can be detrimental to your health
Layoffs can lead to cases of survivor syndrome.
For almost a year, Susana Rosales, an administrative clerk in a Barcelona factory, watched warily as her colleagues were laid off one by one. The workers, the salespeople, her colleagues in the administration department and even the head of marketing.
"Every time I saw a colleague say goodbye to a colleague I thought it would be the next one. I felt lucky I felt lucky to still be working at the company, but it was really stressful to think that any day it could be my turn. This situation affected my day-to-day life and caused me anxiety and insomnia," says Rosales.
Survivor Syndrome at work
As in Susana's case, the interruption of normal working life due to "downsizing"(downsizing) causes employees to have to adapt to a new situation. adapt to a new situation which can have a negative negative effect on the well-being and satisfaction not only of those who become unemployed, but also of those who keep their jobs. This phenomenon, first studied by Noerfirst studied by Noer, is known as the "Survivor Syndrome.Survivor Syndrome". It is characterized by high levels of anxiety and stress (or burnout), lack of motivation and affective commitment to the organization, generalized dissatisfaction and distrust towards the company.
According to the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) (Eurofound) "many factors affect employee well-being, and the economic and social environment is extremely important in this respect". It therefore recommends: "Work-related psychosocial factors, economic contexts and social contexts that cause discomfort should be modified to reduce levels of dissatisfaction. levels of dissatisfaction”.
The truth is that, faced with the impossibility of changing the economic or political landscape of a country in times of recession, many are affected by this syndrome. A study by Jussi Vahtera, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, found that "in times of crisis, those who keep their job increase the probability of suffering from Cardiovascular diseases by a factor of 5". The causes? Increased stress, excessive workload and continuing job insecurity.
Stress and burnout and their relationship with workers' health
As already mentioned in the article "Burnout: how to detect it and take action", stress and job satisfaction have become an important factor in the last decades in the work context. Psychosocial risks and burnout are among the most difficult problems in the field of occupational health and safety, as they have a significant impact on individuals and organizations.
For the worker it causes physical, emotional or behavioral consequences, and for the company, it negatively affects the organization, the working environment, the performance or interpersonal interpersonal relations. In this context, feelings arise in employees such as indifference, despair in the face of work, a greater demotivation or an increase in the desire to leave the job, which can lead to the abandonment of the profession in many cases. In many companies there is a high rate of absenteeism due to this phenomenon.
Crisis? More work and more uncertainty for survivors
Many companies are not unaffected by the economic crisis in which the European Union is immersed, which is why layoffs are becoming a frequent occurrence within companies. The labor survivor in times of crisis The job survivor in times of crisis faces the added pressure of often having to work longer hours to perform the tasks of colleagues who are no longer there. This added pressure and the fear of being laid off at any time can cause irritability, difficulty concentrating and, in some cases, anxiety attacks," as Julie Monti explained to Today's Chicago Woman.
This syndrome is becoming so important that it is attracting the interest of scientists, organizations, human resources departments and even governments. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality U.S. provides scientific evidence linking the number of workers with discomfort at work. This study shows the close association between poor human resources and the consequent occurrence of stress, burnoutpsychosomatic symptoms, loss of well-being and dissatisfaction.
Another study, in this case on the incidence of restructuring in companies and on the health of workers, carried out by Labour Asociados for the Spanish Ministry of Employment, which includes data from the International Labor Organization. International Labor Organization (ILO) (ILO), shows that "the crisis has caused workers to face the crisis with fear. fear and stress the possibility of losing their jobs".
In addition, it concludes that "there may be more accidents, injuries and even deaths at work due to staff cuts".
What can companies do to help survivors?
Experts recommend promoting greater communication, increased employee involvement, and recognition of the emotions boiling over in the workplace to help survivors reduce or eliminate their symptoms and improve the work environment. "That fear, caused by a lack of communication on the part of the company towards the employee, can end up generating anxiety, anguish, panic attacks and crying episodes," says psychologist Roger Puigdecanet of the Psychological Care Unit.
The fact that employees do not feel valued is also a trigger for many psychological problems within the organization. Several studies have highlighted the importance of transformational leadership in reducing stress, improving self-esteem, job satisfaction and increasing productivity. This type of leadership is characterized by a high degree of communication with employees and influence over workers' beliefs and interpretations of the meaning of work in a way that enhances well-being.
According to Peiró, a professor at the University of Valencia, "the authentic transformational leader strives to do what is right and fair for all stakeholders in the organization and may willingly sacrifice one's own interests for the collective good of his or her work team or organization."
In the aftermath of the crisis, many companies are aware of the effects that this situation can have on productivity. productivityThey are increasingly looking to hire professionals who specialize in motivating people who survive the downturn. The director of Advantage ConsultantsSylvia Taudien comments that "companies ask us for individual or group coaching actions to bring the team back together, teach them to assimilate change and manage fear".
In addition, Taudien regrets that "we are finding surprising cases of highly trained and well-paid managers who in difficult times do not know how to lead and transmit confidence to their team and instead immerse themselves in their own pain about the company's situation".
Conclusion
If companies are willing to make layoffs (especially on a large scale), it is more than likely that employees will suffer some effects of the survivor syndrome. However, the impact of this syndrome can be reduced, the impact of survivor syndrome can be reduced if steps are taken to understand and redirect the potential and redirect the possible negative consequences it may have on the well-being of employees.
Appropriate communication and an effective leadership style can lead to improvements in the way workers perceive this situation and, in this way, minimize the consequences on their occupational health. Improving employee well-being will also have a positive effect on the health of the organization, i.e., it will positively affect its performance in the marketplace.
(Updated at Apr 13 / 2024)