Survivor guilt (or survivor’s guilt; also called survivor syndrome or survivor’s syndrome and survivor disorder or survivor’s disorder) is a mental condition that occurs when a person believes they have done something wrong by surviving a traumatic or tragic event when others did not, often feeling self-guilt.

These 10 tips can help lighten your load.

1. Name your guilt.
2. Explore the source.
3. Apologize and make amends.
4. Learn from the past.
5. Practice gratitude.
6. Replace negative self-talk with self-compassion.
7. Remember guilt can work for you.
8. Forgive yourself.

Coping with layoff survivor sickness

1. Remain calm. When layoffs hit, the immediate reaction of those left behind is often panic.
2. Recognize that survivor guilt is normal.
3. Talk it out.
4. Be honest and efficient.
5. Unhook your self-esteem from your company.
6. Empower yourself.
7. Manage your stress.
8. Maintain perspective.

1. Coping with the Stress of Layoff and Unemployment.
2. Loss and the Grieving Process.
3. Ways to Manage the Stress of Job Loss.
4. Give yourself time to adjust.
5. Don’t be ashamed.
6. Tell your family and friends as soon as possible.
7. Keep open communication with your significant others.
8. Think of the job loss as a temporary setback.

You might be suffering from what author and consultant David Noer calls “layoff survivor sickness,” a toxic blend of anger, survivor guilt, fear and anxiety that can cause sleepless nights, sinking morale and plummeting productivity. ”It’s the same process people go through when they survive car crashes,” says Noer.

Workplace Survivor Syndrome: Term coined by organizational psychologists to describe the emotional, psychological, and physical effects of employees who remain in the midst of company downsizing.

Below are some common reactions to these stages: • Denial “This will never really happen – if I just don’t think about it, it will go away.” • Resistance For employees about to be laid off: “I will find a way to reverse this layoff decision” For remaining employees: “There is no way that I am going to consider taking …

Create opportunity. After the layoff, provide additional training to employees who have assumed new responsibilities. Motivate employees to seek out ways to improve their skills and contribute to the organization, such as getting training in communicating in times of uncertainty, crisis and change.

We’ve put together some ways to look after your mental health during the redundancy process.

1. Know your rights. If you are made redundant, it’s important to know your rights.
2. Take stock of how you’re feeling.
3. Manage your money.
4. Coping with uncertainty.
5. Keep busy, or take some time off.

Explain in broad terms how the company is helping those whose jobs were eliminated, for example, by providing severance or career-transition services. You also need to give employees an opportunity to share their thoughts.

5 Ways to Boost Employee Morale After Layoffs

1. Communicate clearly and positively.
2. Understand impacted groups.
3. Address change effectively.
4. Collect and respond to feedback.
5. Keep a pulse on employee engagement.

In times of financial crisis, many companies find that they need to lay off workers for different reasons. The most common reasons why employees are laid off include cost-cutting, staff reduction, relocation, buyouts, and mergers.

The key difference between being laid off vs. getting fired is that a layoff is the fault of an employer while a firing occurs because of the employee’s fault. Most workers get laid off because the company is trying to cut costs, reduce the staff, or due to mergers and acquisitions.

Getting laid off happens when your employer needs to let go of team members, usually because of hard economic times. Layoffs can also happen when companies restructure or merge with another company, eliminating certain positions. The number of layoffs we’re experiencing right is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.

A layoff is not to be confused with wrongful termination. Laid off workers or displaced workers are workers who have lost or left their jobs because their employer has closed or moved, there was insufficient work for them to do, or their position or shift was abolished (Borbely, 2011).

In some cases, laid-off employees may be entitled to severance pay or other employee benefits provided by their employer. Generally, when employees are laid off, they’re entitled to unemployment benefits. In some cases, a layoff may be temporary, and the employee is rehired when the economy improves.

Can you rehire a laid-off employee? Yes. There are no laws prohibiting employers from rehiring laid-off employees. Rehiring a laid-off employee can save you time and money, since they are familiar with your business practices, and additional resources won’t be needed to train them.

If you are laid-off you should get your full pay unless it is part of your contract that your employer can lay you off without pay or on reduced pay. If unpaid lay-offs are allowed under your employment contract, you should make sure your employer knows they should still give you statutory guarantee pay.

The Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) tax is imposed at a flat rate on the first $7,000 paid to each employee. The current FUTA tax rate is 6%, but most states receive a 5.4% “credit” reducing that to 0.6%. There is no action an employer can take to affect this rate.

If you were laid off as part of a group, mention that in your response. And, if you were laid off during the ongoing public health crisis, you can mention that as well. Whatever the reason for the layoffs at your company, keep your explanation brief.

Company Layoffs Seniority becomes important when employers make the unhappy decision to lay off employees. Employment lawyers recommend seniority as a factor in their layoff decisions. Laid-off employees are also less likely to slap employers with discrimination charges if the layoffs are done according to seniority.

Your employer can only lay you off or put you on short-time working if your contract specifically says they can. If it’s not mentioned in your contract, they can’t do it. Your contract can be written, a verbal agreement or what normally happens in your company.

You can legally lay off and hire employees simultaneously if you are experiencing a reduction in business and no longer need an operations manager, for example, but do need to bring on more sales professionals in an effort to bring in new business.

1) Seniority Based Selection This is one of the simplest methods. Basically, the last employees to get hired become the first people to be let go. This makes sense in a logical sort of way. If they were just recently hired they probably haven’t become organizational assets yet.

Establish the criteria for layoff decisions. Once you have a sense of what skills the company will need going forward, you can decide how to select workers for layoff. The safest course, legally, is to use objective criteria like seniority, productivity, or sales numbers.