Lifestyles
Even in uncertainty, workers can manage their fears, guilt
November 22, 2005
BY MARGARITA BAUZA
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
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Rich Garbacz, 53, of Canton has spent 35 years working for GM. People at the plant were hit hard by the announcement, he said. Some even cried. Staying busy and starting with a new job search can help them and others avoid depression, experts say.
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Mark Barker, a press operator at a General Motors stamping plant in Lansing, walked in to work Monday morning and learned that he will soon be out of a job. GM will close his plant in 2006.
"If I was to retire now, I'm good for 10 years," said Barker, a 47-year-old Muir resident. "But what happens in 10 years, when you factor in inflation? I'm not ready to retire."
About 30,000 General Motors workers are heading into Thanksgiving with uncertain futures after the automaker announced a restructuring Monday that includes a dozen plant closings.
The next several months will bring additional stress for even more workers. Experts say those who are not losing jobs may feel guilt over being spared cuts their friends must endure.
Barker said morale was low Monday, and that many of his coworkers are close to retirement age, but had hoped to work for a while longer.
He said he feels lucky that his children are grown, and that he's saved some for retirement. But he worries about being able to find another job, given the condition of the auto industry.
Because he has 29 years of seniority, he can transfer to another job within GM. But he knows he could still face hardship.
"We've seen the writing on the wall," he said. People at his plant knew that closing was likely. "I'm going to ride it out and see what happens."
Those who are keeping their jobs will be watching closely to see how the company treats those who are being cut loose, said Susan Hodgkinson, president of the Personal Brand Co. and a Boston-based career coach. "They internalize this, and it affects the future climate of an organization."
For workers losing their jobs, the most natural and unhealthy thought accompanying job loss is self-blame, said Wayne State industrial psychologist Gary Lichtman, who has gone through a layoff himself.
"It is not a rational thought," he added. "Even though there are 29,999 people who are also losing their jobs, they always think it's something they did.
"Initially, it will be a real downer. But if they can get some rapid intervention, keep busy and get going with a new job search, it will help avoid depression."
Lichtman said younger workers would be able to bounce back more easily.
"The younger you are when this happens, the better off you are," he said.
"Younger people are better able to absorb this. There is less of a feeling of entitlement. They can't say, 'I have given 30 years of my life to this company.'
"You can recover. You have to. You just have to. The quicker you learn that, the easier it gets each time."
Whether workers receive financial packages to sustain them for a while will largely determine how well they cope, Lichtman added.
GM is holding those details close to its vest.
"It's too early to tell what we will do now," GM spokesman Stefan Weinmann said. "We are starting to work with the UAW and other unions to determine how we will implement plans specifically."
He said a large number of job cuts will be accomplished through attrition and early retirement.
"We will work with our unions on programs because we want to mutually agree on as much as possible," he said.
He said UAW members have benefits that include counseling, and that workers at the affected facilities will also have human resources representatives available to answer questions and determine what services are available to them.
Weinmann said morale is tenuous at best.
"Certainly, this is a difficult decision. There's no doubt," he said. "This is not a decision we have made lightly, but at the same time, we really had no choice. We have to be competitive.
"If we implement the plan properly, there is a high confidence level that the company is profitable and growing."
Contact MARGARITA BAUZA at 313-222-6823 or mbauza at freepress.com.