45 percent of layoff victims, despite anger, would return to former employer

The study of predominantly highly paid, college-educated professionals who are unemployed finds that 45 percent of layoff victims would return to work for their former employer – despite anger over being terminated. The research also emphasizes the importance of fair and transparent layoff decisions, as the treatment of downsized employees affects layoff survivors, company reputation and the ability to attract candidates during an economic recovery. “How employers treat employees through layoffs is always important and will become even more so when the economy fully rebounds and it’s an employees’ market again,” said human resource management Professor Gary J. Blau, the study’s lead author. Blau and two human resource management colleagues at Temple’s Fox School of Business stress that “employers have a vested practical interest in ensuring the process of deciding who goes and who doesn’t is perceived as a fair one,” especially when social media and review-your-employer websites such as glassdoor.com provide more opportunities than ever to publicly vent frustration and amplify negative sentiments. Layoff victims’ communication of mistreatment can impact layoff survivors, who may anticipate the same or even worse treatment. Remaining employees with “lower trust, motivation and commitment would be more likely to give a negative or discouraging employer endorsement/referral to prospective applicants,” the authors wrote. The researchers examined unemployment effects on an understudied population: salaried professionals, middle managers and executives. Of the 382 respondents surveyed online, 64 percent earned more than $75,000 a year, 79 percent had at least a college degree, 79 percent were the primary source of household income when laid off and 83 percent were salaried professionals or in higher positions…

45 percent of layoff victims, despite anger, would return to former employer
http://phys.org/news/2012-09-percent-layoff-victims-anger-employer.html