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The purpose of this article is to explore the impact of reasonable notice legislation on organizational mass lay-off practices in Canada.

Information regarding 1,147 mass lay-off events in Ontario were examined using aggregate level data analysis and ANOVA to develop an understanding of the role of legislation on mass lay-off practices. The data represent all Notice of Mass Termination provided to the Ministry of Labour from 2001 to 2008.

The results suggest that organizations choose to absorb inefficiencies during mass lay-offs to reduce expenses associated with reasonable notice periods. Additionally, the findings suggest that the use of mass lay-offs is polarized, with some organizations executing frequent large lay-offs, whereas others execute infrequent smaller lay-offs.

This research provides evidence that labour legislation influences organizational decision-making during time of significant organizational change, using an ad hoc review of past organizational event. Further research is required to establish the theoretic basis (motivation, rationalization and perceptions) for these empirical results.

As downsizing becomes a business norm, the role of government and the concept of reasonable notice remain largely unexplored. Challenges with data availability continue to pose a significant barrier to effectively integrating both internal and external factors that influence organization level downsizing decisions. This article is very timely and extends the current discourse, by providing a preliminary exploratory analysis on the role of reasonable notice legislation.

This paper examines the process of corporate downsizing and its implications for communicating employee lay‐offs. In an effort to please one set of stakeholders (investors, creditors, shareholders, analysts and others), management may be faced with difficult and unpleasant communication choices as they confront another set of stakeholders (employees, customers, community members and elected officials). The objective in each case is to restructure the organisation, control costs and return to profitability without alienating or traumatising the very people who helped create wealth and productivity for the organisation. This paper reviews current practice, an extended case example, and provides ten specific suggestions for planning and communicating employee lay‐offs.

In the late 1970s underemployment as a result of recession began to receive attention with several states in the USA legislating for reduced hours compensation. This article examines California's Shared Work Unemployment Insurance (SWUI) programme and the reaction of firms to it. Under SWUI rules employers voluntarily enrol workers for benefit eligibility; it is not a short‐term worker's right to receive benefit. The labour market context of employers who choose to use SWUI as an alternative to lay‐offs is discussed

Mass lay-offs tremendously impact employees and companies. Helping people toward new employment could help organizations manage costs and reputation. The authors sought to test a model, based on regulatory focus theory, predicting which employees are more likely to consider leaving the company during this uncertain time (turnover intentions) and indirectly to engage in behavior to strengthen their external labor market position (mobility-oriented behavior).

With a mass lay-off impending, the authors studied employees (N = 326) in a financial services organization. The authors reasoned that employees' perception that they have higher (vs lower) qualifications than their job requires, may be able to spur turnover intentions for some because it enhances perception that movement to another job is desirable and feasible. The authors proposed perceptions of being overqualified vs perceptions of being underqualified only affect the turnover intentions and mobility-oriented behavior of promotion-focused employees.

Supporting the expectations, promotion-focused employees (but not prevention-focused employees) who perceived themselves to be overqualified, compared with promotion-focused employees who perceived themselves to be underqualified, showed higher turnover intentions and, indirectly, mobility-oriented behavior.

This research is one of few studies that have examined intentions and behavior of employees who are facing impending mass lay-off, as most lay-off research has studied survivors or victims post lay-off. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to apply a regulatory focus perspective on overqualification/underqualification, as well as to turnover intention and mobility behavior.

Every year a number of employees are dismissed in American companies. Several names have been used to call these circumstances such as dismissal, separation, termination, discharge, firing, or layoff (Paula, 1985). Most people use these words interchangeably even though they are slightly different in the meaning regarding the cause of unemployment. The purpose of this study is to show the distinction between “termination” and “layoff” including the definition, the cause of termination and lay off, and the strategy to handle both the termination and layoff situation more properly and effectively. In addition, the study will demonstrate how the layoff has an impact on the American Corporation.

Assesses the impact of downsizing and lay‐offs on the workers who remain with the company ‐ survivors. Argues that while the primary aim of downsizing is to improve efficiency and productivity, this is not always achieved owing to decreased motivation and job security among survivors. Outlines ways in which organizations can overcome these difficulties and suggests five possible strategies they can adopt to lessen any negative effects of lay‐offs. Concludes by stating that these will help companies achieve their goal of optimum efficiency.

The purpose of this paper is to compare two elements of lay-off costs in a dynamic model of the labor market and analyze the differences for business cycle dynamics and welfare.

The paper builds a general equilibrium Real Business Cycle model and introduces firing costs and severance payments. Labor market frictions are assumed to follow the famous search and matching approach.

The paper finds that firing costs imply a higher volatility over the cycle and have stronger negative welfare effects. Severance payments have a lower volatility, reduce unemployment, and reduce welfare by a smaller amount.

Policy reforms should be aimed to use severance payments and reduce the ring cost component of lay-off costs.

Increasing welfare and a more stable business cycle could be supported by using severance payments instead of firing costs.

Now, more than ever, companies are taking part in workforce reductions. There are many names it can go by – reduction in force, downsizing, right sizing, eliminating redundancy, experiencing lay‐offs, cutting staff or reengineering. Most people would choose to blame the poor condition of the U.S. economy. While this may be true in some cases, there are usually many different reasons an organisation would undertake lay‐offs. No matter what an organisation calls it, there are effective and ineffective ways to accomplish this objective.

Argues that although downsizing and mass lay‐offs are a plague, they do not only affect US companies but also other areas in the industrialized world. Stresses they ruin morale, corrode loyalty and, for the displaced workers, cause a lot of heartbreak. Investigates the reasons for downsizing and looks at some of the major companies who have succumbed to it, including: General Motors, Sears, AT&T and IBM. Looks at the impact on survivors; companies’ responses’ downsizing impact on wages, staffing; and outsourcing.