They saw it coming. The pink slip that is.
That’s the finding of a recent survey by outplacement consulting firm Lee Hecht Harrison.
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According to a recent Lee Hecht Harrison survey of 1,202 out-placed managers, the majority were not surprised to find themselves out of a job.
Of those managers surveyed, 78 percent said they anticipated their organization’s downsizing, and 57 percent were not surprised to learn that they were among those to be laid off.
”This may be because many employees have become accustomed to downsizing and know what signs to look for,” said Gil Swick, a senior vice president and general manager at Lee Hecht Harrison.
Swick also said that 35 percent of the survey respondents said they had been downsized before and 65 percent had survived a previous downsizing with their most recent or prior employer.
According to the survey, not only were managers not surprised – they had prepared themselves fairly well for the inevitable.
”Within two years prior to their downsizing, 57 percent of respondents had updated their resumes, half pursued some form of career or skill development, 46 percent actively maintained their networks, and 44 percent explored other options,” said Swick.
Other survey findings:
Despite the inevitable hurt and disappointment individuals feel upon being terminated, 23 percent rated the way their company handled the overall downsizing as good (as best they could) and 51 percent as fair (some aspects handled well, but others done poorly). Only 26 percent said their organization handled it poorly.
