The study of an energy company in the US was intended to explore how employees’ emotions after downsizing impacted their learning following the downsizing event.
The authors elected to study an energy company based in Oklahoma City that had experienced several downsizings over the previous 10 years. More recently, there had been a major restructuring on departments as a result of the downsizing. At the time of the study there were 400 employees. They carried out 30-60 minute semi-structured interviews with nine volunteers, all affected by layoffs. Five were impacted by the loss of a supervisor and all had faced the loss of a co-worker.
Three main themes emerged – firstly “resilience”, where they focused on getting back to work, secondly “loyalty”, where most participants spoke about their new-found appreciation for their job and willingness to help colleagues, and finally “moral support” in which they spoke about how the experience strengthened relationships with colleagues, and they came to rely on each other.
The authors said their study pointed the way forward for organizations that wanted to understand the emotional impact of downsizing, and its effect on learning. They suggested some practical methods to enhance empathy and rebuild relationships.
