Work downsizing causes psychological problems for all

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Redundancies worsen mental health of those who are left behind.
Enforced redundancies are a feature of company 'downsizing' and clearly can have a psychological impact on those who lose their jobs. Researchers in Finland now report that those who are left behind may also suffer mental health problems. They looked at prescriptions filled out by more than 26,500 municipal workers between 1994 and 2000 after a period of redundancies brought on by national recession.

The researchers focused upon antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs and sleeping pills - in other words, those medications which were indicative of a mental health problem. In the group, almost 5,000 had kept their jobs in a downsized business, while over 4,000 lost their jobs or left. The rest escaped the downsizing process altogether. Men who lost or left their jobs were 64 per cent more likely to take one of the above medications than the majority, who were not affected by downsizing. But men who kept a job in a downsized organization were also 50 per cent more likely to fill one of these prescriptions than those whose company was not affected. For women who kept their jobs, there was a 12 per cent increase in these prescriptions. The findings suggest that downsizing creates stress for all involved and its impact upon the mental health of those who remain should be taken into account.

Source
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health January 2007

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