Emotions take hit as well as finances, expert explains

By BENNETT HALL
Gazette-Times business editor

Most people think of getting laid off as primarily an economic hardship, and of course it is. But it can also pack a powerful — and often overlooked — emotional wallop, said Fran McKee Ryan, an Oregon State University professor of organizational behavior.

“There is research going back to the 1930s that shows that losing your job is one of the most stressful life events you can face,” she told the audience at a Trend Watchers Lunch on Wednesday at the Corvallis Country Club. “It rates on par with the loss of a spouse.”

While the loss of income is always a problem, Ryan said, many people don’t consider the secondary effects of becoming unemployed. Her presentation, “The Personal Effects of Job Loss,” was part of a new series sponsored by the Corvallis Area Chamber of Commerce, the OSU College of Business and the Corporate Round Table.

Mental health and physical well being frequently decline after a layoff, Ryan said, while alcoholism, drug abuse, divorce rates and domestic violence tend to rise. That’s because our work is tied up with almost every aspect of our lives.

“It isn’t just about your job,” she said. “When you lose your job, you also lose a considerable part of your own identity, you lose social relationships with other people, you lose the structure of your day.”

Citing a recent wave of job cuts at Hewlett-Packard’s Corvallis campus as an example, Ryan noted that such layoffs have become widespread across the country and that the people caught up in them often find themselves forced into less satisfying jobs at a lower rate of pay.

“The jobs that are lost tend to be of higher quality than those that are being created,” she said. “We have offshoring, right-sizing, realignment, cultural shift — whatever you call it, there is change afoot.”

If you’re laid off, Ryan advised, give yourself some time to recognize what it is that’s been taken from you and mourn your loss. Don’t be in too big a hurry to get a new job, but start thinking about what kind of work you’d really like to do and update your resume to make you an attractive hiring prospect.

And get busy reconstructing your life — create a productive routine that gives your day some structure, take up a new hobby, hit the gym or take a trip.

And don’t forget to look on the bright side: now that you’re not tied to that job anymore, you can think about the full range of possibilities open to you.

“Sometimes losing a job is not a door closing, it’s a new door opening,” she said.

Ryan also had some advice for managers. If you find yourself having to lay off workers, treat them as you would like to treated in their place: be fair and truthful, give as much notice as possible, provide severance pay and offer outplacement assistance. Remember, these people have relationships with your customers and competitors — mistreating them can create a lot of bad public relations.

Don’t forget to manage the fallout among the “survivors,” who are liable to feel guilty, worry that their jobs could be cut next and may even jump ship for fear of future layoffs. And be realistic about what you expect of them — if you lay off 30 percent of your work force, don’t think the remaining 70 percent can handle 100 percent of the work.

“Really good companies can destroy their culture by poorly managing their downsizing process,” Ryan said.

The Trend Watchers Lunch series is expected to resume in the fall.

If you’ve lost your job ...

• Recognize you’ve lost an important part of your life

• Don’t expect everyone to understand your feelings

• Seek support from others

• Keep a daily routine

• Be proactive by setting goals

• Give yourself time to grieve

• Be realistic about expectations of finding a new job

• Envision your ideal job and look for it

• Revise your resume

• Focus on transferable skills

• Network

• Use available resources

• Explore new options

Bennett Hall is the business editor for the Gazette-Times. He can be reached at 758-9529 or bennett.hall@lee.net.