No one likes being laid off. It can be one of the most painful things an employee can experience. The shock and confusion will only go away through understanding. To that effect you would do well to pick up a book. As an avid reader I have found many books related to the subject of layoffs that shed much light on the subject.

The first book you should check out is Healing the Wounds: Overcoming the Trauma of Layoffs and Revitalizing Downsized Organizations (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series) by David M. Noer. I recommend this first because it deals with the issue from a personal and emotional standpoint. This is where you need to turn if you are feeling very hurt or deeply scarred over the event.

This book is extremely well written and covers the whole scope of layoffs as well as the individual consequences of the corporate mentality. And it is probably the most quotable book on the subject. One of my favorite lines is "Codependents are all collectively conspiring to be something that they do not want to be individually." It talks not only about grieving but about breaking the codependancy chain and empowering workers. This book is the best.

The second book you should take a look at is Reinventing Your Career: Surviving a Layoff and Creating New Opportunities by Stephen Adams. I think this author is very in touch with the corporate attitude's prevalent in today's workforce as well as individual marketability. He tells you how to prepare for the crunch and reevaluate your need to be employed by the company at all. Self employment is a strong but not dominant theme. By the end of this book you will never look at the employer-employee relationship the same again.

For a great overview of layoffs and their social and economic implications try The Disposable American: Layoffs and Their Consequences by Louis Uchitelle. Louis Uchitelle, a New York Times economics reporter, uses many great current examples to illustrate that something is very wrong with not only layoffs but our tolerance for large-scale and far reaching ones.

This is a nostalgic and energetic book. It is one of the most well written books concerning layoffs ever written. He destroy the myths involved in layoffs, such as that the small amounts saved justify the firings. Over thirty million American workers have lost their jobs due to layoffs since the 1980s and the lie is that a revitalized corporate America is going to end up more secure than it was before the layoffs. He provides profound examples to this effect...

Layoffs can be a scary thing and sometimes we need intellectual consolation that cannot be found anywhere else but in books. I think the three listed above are the best on this particular subject and that they each fit a unique need whether it be focus on the individual or social aspects of layoffs. Knowledge is the key to combating this problem and there is no shortage of that to be found in these three books. They are all highly recommended.

Learn more about this author, Royce Radcliffe.
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