Surviving a restructure

[NiceCardigan]

We're currently going through a massive restructure at work my department is disappearing and we either had to apply for a new role or move sideways into something less than thrilling. I got one of the new roles but I will be one of the very last to move and I have months ahead in a dying department with unhappy colleagues. The amount of negativity around is draining and I'm starting to dread going in. Has anyone else been through anything like this? Did it turn out ok in the end?

I'd thank your lucky stars you have a job in the new organisation, think of the people who are losing their jobs. They are the ones with worries ahead, not you.

I'd do your best to support people, but don't expect them to be the life and soul of the party, they haven't got much to be cheerful about. Keep working and stay busy. That's all you can do

No one is losing their jobs as I said we had a choice new role or move sideways. The people I'm working with didn't apply for the new role.

Fair enough, not meaning to sound unsympathetic but if you've got a job that you wanted, then that's good, right?

If there are disgruntled staff who drew the Short Straw, well I guess that's unfortunate but I'm not sure what you can do - other than being discreet ie not going round the office with a smug smile on your face. Maybe offer a friendly ear to someone who wants to have a moan about it. Or help them with ideas for their CV or a character reference. Sometimes practical things are all you can do

Hopefully you'll be busy with your new job and can avoid the doom and gloom!

CV in case they get so fed up they start looking elsewhere!

It's difficult to be smug about a new role that all your colleagues think is rubbish and why on earth who anyone apply for it. When I applied for the new role we were told that we would move into it in Nov or Jan. A group of us were then told we would have to wait to be moved possibly as late as June. So I'm stuck.

I have been through about 3 major restructuring so in the last few years. Each time felt like death by a thousand cuts.

The way I survived was to keep my head down and get on with my workload which didn't change at all ( each time I asked to remain, others asked to leave, some remained). Also I didn't engage with too much coffee machine conversation because it tended to be people moaning on about how bad things were. I did give support to people who genuinely wanted to engage, I smiled in a friendly but not overbearing way and just existed until the worst was over.

In your situation you've either got to decide it's worth it to stay in the new job, or else use the fact you're in employment to put out your CV and take it from there. Unfortunately the bean counters just see employees as names on a spreadsheet, they shuffle people round like pieces on a chess board. It's about keeping a positive attitude yourself and not getting caught up in the gloom. There is life outside the greyness of corporate life!

I do think it will be worth me staying as it will be better eventually it just seems so painful to get to that point. The complexity of our workloads has massively increased as the easy stuff is being dealt with elsewhere and i fully understand the moaning about that. I'm normally quite a positive person and don't like getting dragged down by the misery of it all.

Existing till the change is over seems to be the way to go!

Yes, survived, but don't underestimate how hard it will be. Probably not in the ways that you would expect, either.

Google "survivor guilt",

I "survived" in a hostile takeover situation- there was huge negativity. My advice would be to try and stay away from these type of discussions and just focus on your role and the future

There are many reasons why people don't apply for new roles and they don't always share the real reasons as they may feel anger, shame, fear.

They wont share that they didn't apply for the role for fear of rejection, or they were two scared of the interview process, or they were feeling surplus to requirements when they have worked hard previously, or they felt the new roles offered were insulting to their experience/worth.

I've also been in a company where it was death by a 1000 cuts and survived several restructures over several years until my eventual redundancy a couple of years before the whole place shut down, It is not nice whether you are staying or leaving, but ultimately leaving is always harder. The trust/loyalty to the company is broken but you are still working there, unsure of your future and how you will pay your rent/mortgage/get another job.

All you can do is keep your head down and keep busy until those leaving are gone and then rebuild some spirit until the next time