In the 1990s, organizations became obsessed with reducing the workforce and operating
in a "lean and mean" fashion. This was followed by an extended period where the
focus was on employee retention and winning the war for talent. However, downsizing
returned with a flourish beginning around 2008 with the global financial crisis. The
continuing impact of sluggish economic growth, huge debt burdens facing governments
around the world, and rapid changes in technology (such as artificial intelligence and
digitization) suggest that cost cutting and downsizing are unlikely to disappear in the
near future. 2
There is growing evidence that firms can become too "lean," and downsizing may
cut into the muscle of the organization. Furthermore, a number of the reductions have
been characterized as "mean"-destroying the lives of victims of cutbacks and leaving a
demoralized and frightened group of survivors of downsizing. In today's environment,
downsizing and restructuring are critical components of HR planning.
Historically, the focus of many organizations was on growth or the "bigger is
better" syndrome. As a result, managers responsible for developing a downsizing
strategy often had little experience in effectively managing the HR planning process
and very little guidance from the management literature. Although the past 25 years
have seen a considerable volume of articles on downsizing and restructuring, the
suggestions they contain often are based on a single experience, are not supported
by research, and frequently are in conflict. For instance, should cuts be targeted
or across the board? Will the firm's stock price increase or decrease when the firm
announces a major layoff or restructuring? Should an employer carry out all of the
cuts at once or stage them over a period of time? Does downsizing improve organizational performance?
Downsizing is not just a Canadian phenomenon. Organizations around the world
are striving to improve their competitive position and respond to the challenges of a
Strategic Human Resources Planning NEL
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global economy. For example, Microsoft announced in July 2017 that it was cutting
thousands of jobs, largely in its sales division. Cutbacks were expected to affect almost
10 percent of the sales workforce, with about three-quarters of the layoffs involving
non-U.S. employees. According to Microsoft, "we evaluate our business on a regular
basis. This can result in increased investment in some places and, from time-to-time,
re-deployment in others."3
Government policy can also have a major impact on downsizing. For instance,
Britain's exit from the European common market is expected to result in the
shifting of about 10,000 financial sector jobs out of London, England. 4 In Quebec,
the effects of the U.S. softwood lumber dispute are being felt with Resolute Forest
Products cutting shifts at seven mills and delaying the commencement of forest operations (affecting almost 1,300 employees). Daniel LeBlond, Local Union President
for Unifor, stated that "these families are devastated, just like if they were struck by a
hurricane." 5     Bu paragrafı özet olarak hem ingilizce hem de türkçe yaz. ne anlatmak istiyor?