As Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a downsizing expert the movie demonstrates well how to deliver high impact messages and captures the different reactions of the employees receiving bad news. I thought however that I would like to talk with u about an aspect of the layoff process that often seems to be neglected: Survivors Guilt

And to be honest this is not too hard to believe. Just take a moment and imagine that half of the colleagues you spent your lunch and coffee breaks with are gone. Your work relationships are heavily influenced by that and we all know that this is an important part of a harmonious and motivated working environment, am I right?


This helplessness is also associated with the loss of certainty or in psychological terms the loss of faith. I am not talking about religious faith here but about the fact that A follows B, so the faith that life has a certain continuity or predictability. And even though we may deny it, but we all do love our certainties in life: the same coffee shop girl that knows your order as soon as you come in, the same bathroom cubicle or even if it is just your favourite tea mug.
I count myself lucky that I have not yet been in a position to experience Survivors Guilt but I am very curious about it. Hence I would love if you could share your experiences with me if you have ever been exposed to a situation where you survived a layoff and how you felt during this process. Moreover I am curious how your managers tried to accommodate you during this difficult phase?
Thank you all and see you soon, Laura