Staff Downsizing Case Study: A Lesson in Preparedness

Author(s): Emily Saunders

Stage of Staff Downsizing Effort: Complete

Drivers for Staff Downsizing

  • An organization of 70 IT employees knew that the IT budget would take a big cut when the economy took a turn for the worst in October 2008.
  • By January 2009, it was clear that reducing staffing costs was a necessity for the organization.
  • The organization had never laid off a permanent employee in its history and, although it had not made this guarantee to its employees, it hoped to maintain this reputation.