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Article Title:
Organisational Downsizing and Its Impact on Leavers and Survivors: The Case of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
by Jeffrey Kurebwa

Abstract:
Organisational downsizing has considerable negative consequences not only for employees who leave the organisation, but also for those who remain. Organisational downsizing in Zimbabwe has been used by many organisations to improve organisational effectiveness and competitive ability. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of downsizing on employees who were leaving (leavers) the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and on those who were remaining (survivors). In January 2011, 1455 employees who had served the organisation in various capacities were retrenched and 945 were retained as the bank sought to do away with quasi fiscal activities to concentrate on its core functions. A questionnaire was randomly among the survivors and leavers at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. The impact of downsizing was looked at in terms of the attitudes and feelings that leavers and survivors had towards the downsizing process. It concludes by indicating the challenges and measures that top management should take into consideration when carrying out organisational downsizing.

Keywords: organisational downsizing, survivors, leavers, survivor syndrome, job insecurity, employee reduction, retrenchment

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