The Difference for Managers and Professional Staff in 1980
| Published date | 01 March 1981 |
| Date | 01 March 1981 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb054971 |
| Pages | 22-28 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
22 | Employee Relations 3,3
The Difference for Managers and
Professional Staff in 1980
The remaining question about reactions to unemployment for this group was whether they passed
through the same phases of shock, optimism, pessimism and acceptance suggested in previous
studies. Harrison [2] referred to doubt beginning within three weeks, demoralisation starting by the
11th week and beginning to settle by the 17th week, about four months. Hill [5] suggested that "after
nine months to a year out of work the individual tends to settle down to a life of unemployment".
Fifteen of the men in this sample had been unemployed for between two and six months, two for
eight or nine months, and three for between one and two years. Most had passed through the shock
phase, but none really had reached the pessimism or acceptance stage. A few did go through spells of
pessimism about getting another job, but this could not be taken as permanent pessimism. Few had
reached the stage of accepting a lower job or salary. On the basis of their self report, either this group
was not going through the same phases as previously reported for blue collar workers or they were
going through them at a much slower pace. The evidence suggested that as a result of several factors,
the latter was the case.
The Nature of the Job
Some job-related factors have been suggested already as responsible for a delay, continuing involve-
ment, legal proceedings, adjustment after returning from abroad. In addition to these, appointments
at a more senior level would be expected to take longer. Kahn [6] for example, referred to over half a
sample of blue collar workers being back at work within two weeks. This could not reasonably be ex-
pected with managerial and professional
staff,
where the process of appointments tends to be
somewhat extended, especially as the men were looking to the long term and not just for a job:
"... she (my wife) can't understand why, if it took a year to get a good job before (when made
redundant) it's taking a year of positive, strong effort now."
It is suggested that given these expectations, the onset of demoralisation would be delayed. While
the length of time would vary between jobs and may not always be as long as in the example, it is
bound to be longer than in the blue collar sector. This, however, could mean also that hopes build up
over a longer period and hence disappointment might come harder. Also, it makes the problem of
playing off one possible job against another more difficult.
Finances
A second and important factor in the delay was financial. The activities of these men and their job
search attitudes reflected that most of them were not in situations of immediate financial difficulty.
This was the result of several factors, redundancy settlements, compensation, salary in lieu of notice,
a wife's income, savings, particularly from working abroad, as well as unemployment benefit.
However, the range of financial cushioning varied considerably according to family circumstances,
previous positions and the circumstances under which they became unemployed. Four of the men,
for example, had made a calculated decision in advance to change and had arranged their finances ac-
cordingly. Three were able to earn money sufficient to live while looking for a permanent and more
stable livelihood. One person, returning from abroad, could live for four years without worrying,
another did not need to work to live, only to prevent him selling his much-loved house and moving to
a smaller one. Redundancy settlements varied considerably. The 49-year-old commercial architect
considered that on redundancy settlement alone it would be
12
months before any change in life style
was required, whereas the 31-year-old factory manager considered it would be 3½ months before the
pinch began to bite, even with his wife's salary. Then, the 43-year-old personnel manager had not
been with his company for two years and hence had not received redundancy pay. He considered
that, with two months's salary in lieu of
notice,
holiday pay, unemployment benefit and his wife's in-
come it would be 4½ months before finances began to affect the household. Hence, there was a
relative degree of financial cushioning but while for some people financial worries were minor, to
others they were still quite considerable:
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