Content area
Full Text
Introduction
The objective of this paper is to explore the utility of Robert K. Merton's (1968) paradigm of reactions to anomia when applied to understanding white collar worker reactions to career disruptions. This objective is pursued through secondary analysis of a data set that was collected initially to investigate white collar worker perceptions regarding the level of demand for highly skilled professional workers. During this ongoing project attention focused on questionnaire responses to laid off white collar workers. The goal of this manuscript is to help determine the utility of Merton's paradigm for classifying white collar worker reactions to career disruptions and the potential insights such classifications might have for career counselors, personnel officers, and placement professionals for helping white collar workers adjust to career disruptions. The results reported in this study demonstrate the potential utility of Merton's paradigm and despite limitations inherent in secondary data and exploratory research, justify further research into applications of Merton's paradigm to white collar worker career disruptions.
Background
Although corporate layoff is not a new phenomenon, its meaning and scope have dramatically changed since the 1970s, during which time a temporary stop in work became a permanent termination of employment. Downs noted that layoffs occurring between 1980 and 1995 began when companies tried to curtail a decrease in earnings, but "... it became popular to lay off employees even when things are going well ... corporations use layoffs as a preemptive measure to ensure that profits continue to grow" ([6] Downs, 1995, p. 57). While the most immediate and clear consequence of a layoff is the immediate reduction of payroll that lowers operating expenses, the long-term and persistent ramifications of lowered corporate profitability ([18] Sirower, 1997) and lowered morale among both employees and stakeholders ([12] Heckscher, 1995; [19] Sennett, 1998; [2] Brown, 2005) have been described but not adequately examined as more negative results.
Generally implemented on a short-term basis, the term "downsizing" refers to the most frequently used strategy for reducing the size of an organization's work force, and it includes such forms as layoffs, buyouts, early retirement incentives, transfers, and attrition. Quickly designed and executed, these tactics typically operate under specific reduction goals, vary widely in focus and approach, move from the top town, and, most recently,...