Employees Survivors Guilt...

The main purpose of this Blog is to put my feelings and thoughts "on paper" regarding grief and to share what I've discovered in understanding this emotion using a technological resource, (the internet). With the increased state of unemployment and the current depressed economic climate, I want to share a few resources I've found regarding a seldom considered emotion as it relates to an employee, 'survivors guilt'. With lay-offs, or in corporate speak, "a reduction in force", a company may provide the employee being let go coping resources. What rarely occurs is for a company to provide these same resources to the employees that remain. A 'survivors guilt' for these employees may be ever so slight, but is just as important to manage. Now, I'm in no way saying that this type of 'survivors guilt' is as hard hit as the guilt one feels when they survive a for more traumatic event such as an accident or natural disaster, but it is still important to acknowledge.
Please see these links regarding Survivor's Guilt:

Time Magazine article - 'After Layoffs, There's Survivor's Guilt'
This article covers a few key points. I find the fact that research shows that there's a reduced commitment and diminished productivity — even when people are expending more effort — can linger for the better part of a year after a layoff takes place
CNN article - 'Dealing with layoff survivor's guilt'
Key point - The remaining employees are often expected to 'do more with less' and move forward, but that's hard to do when they feel depressed, numb and guilty about having made it through the chaos -- classic symptoms of survivor's guilt.
BNET artical - 'Feeling guilty because you survived a layoff? … You're not alone'
Key point - People who are good survivors have a support system. If that support system doesn't happen at work, it doubles the stress outside work. It recommends that employees create their own support systems that could include family and friends, as well as professional, fraternal and religious organizations.