Surviving a layoff can hurt too

Stress, fear and guilt take their toll on employees left to grapple with the aftermath of workforce losses. By Susan Carpenter
February 2, 2009 Pfizer. Saks. Microsoft. The layoff announcements just keep on coming. And they're going to keep on coming throughout the year if the U.S. economy continues its alarming and ever-deepening spiral into the abyss.

More than 2.5 million Americans lost their jobs in 2008. And at least 2 million more jobs are expected to evaporate in 2009, according to the Conference Board Employment Trends Index -- upping the ranks of the unemployed and forcing laid-off employees to dredge their safety nets and call on every available support system. But laid-off employees aren't the only ones who suffer from staff reductions.

Employees who remain employed are prone to greater role ambiguity and job demands that can, in turn, contribute to greater alcohol consumption and depression, according to a 2003 study on the physical and mental-health effects of surviving layoffs, published by the Institute of Behavioral Science. In addition, the study found that layoff survivors often experience worsening physical health: They eat differently, smoke more, suffer from neck and back pain, and increase their use of sick days. Workplace injuries also rise.