Guilty and stressed, layoff survivors suffer, too

Guilty and stressed, layoff survivors suffer, too
Employees who remain face extra work, uncertainty — and no sympathy
By JoNel Aleccia
Health writer
msnbc.com
updated 8:19 a.m. ET, Mon., Dec. 15, 2008

For nearly a year, Suzanne Beckstrom watched warily as employee after employee was laid off in her office at a small Southern California housing development. One by one, she said goodbye to construction workers, sales staff, administrative help — even the marketing manager who oversaw Beckstrom’s work.

Each time, the 60-year-old Carlsbad, Calif., real estate agent and housing options coordinator expected to be next. And each time, she got a reprieve, leaving her with mixed emotions of relief, uncertainty — and guilt.

“You felt like you were lucky to be one of the people who remained, but so sad for the people who left,” said Beckstrom. “And it was extremely stressful wondering what was going to happen next.”

Across the United States, layoffs have stripped jobs from more than 2 million workers this year, including some 533,000 who lost jobs in November alone, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The cuts have had devastating effects on the suddenly unemployed, but they’ve also had a powerful impact on a less obvious population: the co-workers left behind.

Typically ignored in the drama of downsizing, layoff refugees get to keep their jobs, only to face rising workloads, sinking morale, ongoing anxiety — and the uncomfortable feeling that they ought to be grateful for it all.

“If I hear ‘At least you have a job’ one more time, I’m going to physically injure someone,” said a 45-year-old software engineer at a Northern California firm who didn't want to be named for fear of further jeopardizing her job. “Yes, you still have a paycheck coming in, but sometimes I wonder if it’s worth the stress.”
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