Monday, February 15, 2010

The Bread and Butter of Lay Offs- Work With What You Have!

I currently work for an organization that, like many in 2009, had to go through some lay offs. It is an afflicting time for all involved in that process, even including those whom are still sailing within. So, I recently read an article that is the spark behind this blog as the findings were, to say the least:  very surprising!

Kevin Stoker and Susan Walton from the Brigham Young University published an article titled: Corporate Compassion in a Time of Downsizing, which is about the positive effects of maintaining relationships with past and current employees via social networking.


The obvious expectations did surface in the research paper,such as how alumni groups help current and past employees feel like they are important to their company, rather than just a number. Seeing compassion from their employers in times of turbulence and change gave individuals a sense of worth. However, the primary focus on this subject, is not the employees per se, but rather the perception of the public. Creating an alumni group via social networking, increases the value and reputation of a company. Social networking makes this impression amenably achieved in the eyes of the media, stakeholders, competitors, etc, simply based on how easy it is to disseminate information online.

To read the full article, click here:
http://www.instituteforpr.org/files/uploads/CorporateCompassionTimeofDownsizing.pdf