Layoffs make the business pages, even the front pages, of our newspapers with frightening regularity. And massive downsizing continues to reshape the face of American business. But what about those who remain behind? Healing the Wounds provides an antidote to the widespread malaise on the American business scene left in the wake of workforce reductions. Drawing on case studies and original research, David M. Noer--an expert frequently quoted in major media such as The Wall Street Journal and Fortune--provides executives, human resource professionals, managers, and consultants with an original model and clear guidelines for revitalizing downsized organizations.
Most books dealing with human resource issues are predictably detached and devoid of emotional consideration for employees. Leadership consultant David M. Noer’s refreshing study takes the opposite approach. He boldly issues a warning that the current global wave of downsizing has created a traumatic “layoff survivor sickness,” which employees can cure only by forging a new relationship with their employers. Although large corporations and top executives may have caused the 2008-2009 recession, lower-level employees shouldered much of the burden. That makes this report particularly timely. Looking ahead, Noer advocates a new employer-employee relationship that will empower employees and break their unhealthy codependency with their employers. This unsettling idea is a byproduct of the global, on-demand economy. getAbstract finds Noer’s book refreshingly insightful and clearly written, and recommends it to aware, forward-thinking employees, ex-employees, executives and human resource professionals.