Organizational downsizing has increased exponentially worldwide and is also affecting the healthcare industry. It is one thing to speak abstractly of the need to reduce costs and quite another to actually tell a worker the bad news that he or she has been laid off. This paper offers practical advice to healthcare managers on conducting unpleasant…

A furlough is a cross between a vacation and getting fired. College employees have the day off, but they are not getting paid. A few college employees are adhering to the letter of their unpaid furloughs, but most have trouble drawing the line between life and work. In these lousy economic times, a handful of colleges have already instituted…

In an economic downturn that seems to defy fiscal doctrine, how can one be sure that an IT job will remain safe through the coming ups and downs? Since no one can guarantee that IT position will remain intact through a turbulent economy, the author discusses how one can plan now to protect himself/herself later.

Describes outplacement counseling as a process that enables management to deal with the problem of the employee who must be released or the staff that must be reduced. Discusses the process of outplacement counseling, the stages of transition counseling, and techniques to be implemented. (BH)

Consists of four articles describing company and government policies concerning helping dislocated workers. Discusses (1) pre- and post-layoff services at General Motors, (2) placement services for geologists displaced by the collapse of the petroleum industry, (3) the Job Training Partnership Act, and (4) information services for laid-off…

Many find it harder to enter the profession than it sounds in the recruitment literature. This article outlines how one librarian's job searching strategies after she experienced a layoff from her dream job due to budget cuts, can help others gain, or regain, a foothold in the profession. The author of this article offers many suggestions for…

Describes a pilot project set up by the UAW-GM Human Resource Center to deal with a complete plant closing in Cincinnati and to help the workers find other jobs. (JOW)

Since Jennifer L. Gigliotti was in elementary school, the 70-acre Ford Motor Company plant in northwestern Ohio has been a constant in her life. Her mother and father have worked the production line at the Maumee Stamping Plant for almost 60 years combined, making bumpers and body panels for generations of Ford vehicles. So when her father's name…

In light of the many thousands of displaced workers in Michigan, a program was developed to help laid-off workers assess their capabilities, relate their skills to job market needs, overcome the grief resulting from job loss, learn how to approach prospective employers, and successfully market their abilities. The 3-month program was offered at…

Discusses some of the problems in employment shifts and unemployment caused by new technologies in offices and factories. Addresses the Job Training Partnership Act (Title III) which was established as the primary assistance vehicle for displaced workers. Calls for workers to receive sufficient time to adjust to technologies. (TW)

The author explains how one company managed a shutdown while avoiding difficult problems. He describes a five-action plan that focused on all the following areas: severance and benefits, communication, training and development, job opportunities, and retirement planning. This plan is then evaluated and recommendations to improve the plan are…

For the benefit of Texas Association of Private Industry Council (TAPIC) volunteers who oversee dislocated worker projects, a report examined the initial efforts of putting together a cost-effective and responsive system that can reemploy people. In addition to a review of the state's role in the management and administration of the Economic…

The author discusses a technique for counseling career-oriented older workers who become unemployed. The technique consists of discovering a new, more satisfying life-style. A case study is included. (CH)

A series of articles discusses employment issues in various countries: youth employment, reduced working hours and wage cuts, dislocated workers, government employment policies, and job creation. (SK)

Discussions centered on circumstances faced by laid-off workers in Portsmouth, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Upper Cumberland, Tennessee, and Gary, West Virginia. These diverse Appalachian communities are prototypes of the extent of local distress imposed by the impersonal workings of the market and the absence of precedents for dealing with…