Corporate executions : the ugly truth about layoffs--how corporate greed is shattering lives, companies, and communities / Alan Downs.

Includes bibliographical references (page 217) and index.

Print version record.

Pt. 1. The Jury Is In: Evidence and Verdict on Layoffs. 1. The Truth About Layoffs. 2. The Rise of Corporate Narcissism. 3. After the Layoff: The Survival Syndrome. 4. We All Lose -- pt. 2. The Anatomy of a Layoff. 5. A Mass Execution. 6. One-on-One Executions. 7. Human Resources as the Corporate KGB -- pt. 3. The Personal Cost of a Layoff: Pain and Recovery. 8. Have a Great Vacation. 9. Falling Down. 10. The Cruelest Cut: Laying Off Older Workers. 11. Personal Layoff Protection -- pt. 4. No More Slash and Burn: Choices and Opportunities. 12. The Toxic Prescription: When a Layoff Is the Only Option. 13. Alternative Strategies: Payroll Reduction Without Layoffs. 14. Choosing Controlled Growth: Changing Reality to Fit Vision. 15. A New Social Contract.

"Layoffs are good for business." That's the myth that many of us have accepted as a grim business necessity. But Corporate Executions exposes, for the first time, the disturbing facts about this widespread and destructive practice. It demonstrates that in the long run, layoffs are not "good for business," measured by any means: company profitability, employee productivity, or national economic stability. In fact, most layoffs have proven to he ineffective for companies, not to mention disastrous for victims. In chilling detail Alan Downs explains how a new "culture of corporate narcissism" supports the downsizing fad and undermines responsible planning and sound management. He reveals how greed, in many forms, is behind most layoff decisions. Bonus-hungry executives, Wall Street analysts, and investors all cry out for quick profit at any cost, craving the personal rewards that come when layoff announcements drive up stock prices. It's a vicious cycle that ultimately collapses because no company can function without a sufficient number of productive, motivated employees. But Corporate Executions is not all bad news. It supplies positive strategies for avoiding layoffs or for carrying them out with minimal trauma, when absolutely necessary. It urges companies to seek "controlled growth," rather than short-term cost reduction, as the true road to competitive advantage. The book also proposes a "new social contract" between companies and employees. This enlightened approach takes into account today's realities - in business economics and in employee expectations. Finally, the book provides techniques (personal layoff protection) for individuals to use if they sense a layoff is imminent.

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