| Popis: |
The purpose of the present study is to examine how the psychosocial work environment is affected by downsizing from the perspective of those who remain at the workplace. This study aims to contribute to an increased understanding of how various factors, such as communication and support, impact employees' experiences of the psychosocial work environment during a transition. Additionally, we investigated employees' feelings of guilt following a transition. We chose to design the study based on a qualitative approach, utilizing semi-structured interviews conducted digitally via Zoom. The interviews included seven respondents from a company that had undergone a transition involving downsizing, who described their experiences. The material was connected to our theoretical chapter, which discusses human needs, employees' experiences of organizational changes, leadership and communication, as well as survivor sickness. Based on the results, we can conclude that the psychosocial work environment was perceived to be negatively affected by downsizing, with contributing factors being a lack of communication and support. The most prominent response from the respondents regarding what the company could have done better in a future downsizing situation was to have clearer communication, highlighting the importance of the impact of communication. Furthermore, we identified three types of guilt among the respondents after the transition. The first type was linked to the lack of communication, where respondents did not understand the motives behind the decisions. The second type of guilt involved questioning one's own competence compared to those who were let go. The third and final type concerned guilt among all employees regarding the decision that the majority of those who were let go were permanent employees. After conducting the study, we have found the importance of trying to understand the situation of the employee, the middle manager, and the management during a transition. |
