ST. PAUL, MN, Feb. 9, 2010 -- Karen Kodzik, career management consultant and founder of Cultivating Careers, is seeing an increase in a new business paradigm: survivor guilt many professionals feel after surviving company layoffs. Though grateful to still have a job in shaky economic times, these employees often face a new set of challenges as a survivor in their company. “What people don’t realize is that it can be equally challenging for those left behind,” says Kodzik. “Being a survivor requires not sitting back and waiting to be a victim of your circumstance.”
Those who remain at their company may face guilt from witnessing colleagues lose their jobs, have stress from taking on a larger workload and fight the persistent concern that they may lose their jobs next. With all these influences taking a toll on an employee’s productivity and psyche, it is clear that even those who survive staff cuts must find a way to cope with layoffs.
Kodzik, who has been helping professionals realize rewarding careers for more than 13 years and has experience working with clients in over 20 different industries, advises her clients suffering from survivor guilt that, “this might be a good time to regroup and set out on a new course.” Through evaluating a client’s current career, assessing ways to improve a client’s current role in their profession or preparing for the next step in their employment, Kodzik helps those suffering from survivor guilt to move on to a more rewarding career.
