HEALTH PLUS:Careful attention to the humanity of people is essential during a recession, writes Marie Murray
THE WORKPLACE has changed. Work overload is an increasing and dangerous phenomenon. With lay-offs and cutbacks and a cultural message of fear being sent to employees that their jobs may be axed, organisations are in danger of authoring their own demise if worker anxiety, stress, disengagement and burnout are not attended to.
Economic change brings about economic realities. That is accepted. But how organisational change is managed and the manner in which the necessary structural and personal adjustments are communicated to staff is crucial.
The degree of inclusion of staff in the process (not just perfunctory consultation) is important. Redefinition of roles, of expectations, of prospects need the involvement of those they affect.
The assumption that in times of economic necessity employees will automatically engage in work overload without consultation, recognition and appreciation is a dangerous one, with karoshi or death by overwork, its most extreme outcome.
People are prepared to work hard: to rally round when needs must. They like to be involved. They often discover hidden talents when creativity is required.
But when there is more work to do each day than the allocated time to do it, when expectations are unrealistic, when work-life balance is lost and when job satisfaction cannot be attained because the daily workload cannot be achieved, then companies, not just workers, are in trouble.
Organisations in transition can be so preoccupied with balancing the books that they may not realise that they are depleting their most valuable asset: worker energy, allegiance, commitment and loyalty.
If employees feel under unspecified threat, about which they are uninformed and which may influence their daily working lives or end them, then energy will be expended on speculation rather than the business of the company in which people are employed. Speculation is usually extreme, often exceeding the actuality, quickly becoming paranoia, so that by the time the simple economic facts are given to people, trust has been lost and reassurances may not be believed.
Goodwill that is lost is not easily regained. Good people can also be lost to organisations as a result. When layoffs occur, more staff than those who lose their jobs may be lost to the organisation because those remaining occupy an entirely different inherently distressing psychological space.
Research has long confirmed that the primary employee motivator is not money, but job satisfaction: doing something that is worthwhile, respected, regarded, acknowledged and appreciated outweighs the take-home pay. Being a valued part of an organisation, the regularity of working life, the relationship with co-workers, colleagues and friends, the routine, the banter, the sense of belonging and the satisfaction of a job well done; these motivate people more than monetary gain, essential as that may be.
Being valued has many expressions of which remuneration is but one. Being devalued equally takes many forms. At a time when layoffs are necessary and increased workload may become a norm, respectful management of these events is crucial.
When organisations layoff employees, "pause" posts, increase work load, introduce pay cuts, asks employees to generate their incomes and use anxiety as a motivator, the wellbeing of workers and their families are jeopardised.
Layoffs are also stressful for those who are retained and who suffer a combination of fear of being next and guilt at having survived "the chop". Losing co-workers can cause anger, loneliness, guilt and fear.
Assuming the work of those dismissed can feel like a betrayal and is resented. Feelings of collusion, treachery and selling-out can cause passive-aggression, sabotage and stress.
In contrast, necessary layoffs are understood if clear, honest, compassionate information is conveyed, good notice is given, assistance in finding similar work through CV advice and outplacement counselling and fair severance is provided, and if those who are to be retained are assured of the security of their jobs and given assistance in adapting to change.
The losses that accompany recession are many: loss of stability, safety, prosperity and belief in a secure future. In uncertain times, careful attention to the humanity of people is essential. If we lose that we are truly in societal decline.
mmurray@irish-times.ie Clinical psychologist and author Marie Murray is director of the student counselling services in University College Dublin.