4. People. Change in any of the above variables can result in changing relationships—change in managers, employees, co-workers, and customers, and change within a given person, such as change in knowledge, attitude, and skills.

A particularly stressful change in the American workplace is the downsizing and reorganization activities resulting from reengineering business, reinventing government, and other management initiatives. Employees who are victims of job loss, particularly those in their middle years, face enormous economic, social, and personal stress. Employees who remain with an organization often experience the

“survivor syndrome.” They are afraid they will be part of the next round of cuts, and they feel sadness and guilt over their co-workers’ fate. In addition, they often have more work to do personally if production demands do not reflect the reduced number of people to do the job.