Downside of Downsizing

The term downsizing has become a lot more prevalent in current times. The advancement of technology coupled with the pitiful state of the economy has made it the norm to downsize in large companies. Tasks and duties in the workplace can be consolidated to a lower number of positions, which is not always the most efficient option. The company may be saving some money however, the employee may feel more overwhelmed with the new tasks they are assigned and may not be able to handle the workload. As mentioned in the Greenbaum readings programmers are doing a lot more work because the programming language used is based on tools and languages from previous years. Thus, they are able to do more cutting the need for some specialists. This downsizing has lead to a lower amount of job security and technology, as Greenbaum mentions, has a lot to do with it. Many companies that cannot afford to have a secretary really feel that they do not have the need for one or eliminate the position due to technological advances such as voicemail or email. Instead of creating more positions, technology has provoked more downsizing. Companies want to save money by buying technology to reduce the amount of workers needed, workers may feel overwhelmed, and some may possibly leave the position. However, times are so tough right now that people have no choice and are stuck with doing the extra work or be left without a job. That brings up a second point that workers really have no choice to take on the extra workload. The choice is either do the work or be without a job. Thus, downsizing in times of harsh economic conditions really puts pressure on the workers to complete the extra work or lose the job all together.