ELÄMÄÄ PANKKITYÖN JÄLKEEN Tapaustutkimus liiketoimintaorganisaation rakennemuutoksen seurauksena työta vaille jäävien ihmisten sopeutumisesta uuteen elämäntilanteeseen

Abstract

Vuonna 1995 tiedotettiin Kop:n ja Syp:n yhdistymisestä Merita Pankiksi. Tutkimus selvittää fuusion johdosta Merita Pankista poistuneiden henkilöiden uudelleensijoittumista ja sopeutumista uuteen elämäntilanteeseen yksilötasolla. Tutkimuksen kohteena on työnsä menettäneet sekä organisaatiosta vapaaehtoisesti poistuneet henkilöt. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan henkilöiden vaiheittaista poistumista organisaatiosta (vuosina 1995-1997) ja vaiheittaisen poistumisen merkitystä sopeutumisprosessille. Tutkimusta henkilöstön vaiheittaisesta poistumisesta organisaatiosta yrityssaneerausten johdosta ei ole aikaisemmin Suomessa tehty. Vaiheittaisuuden huomioon ottaminen tutkimuksessa antaa uutta tietoa ajallisesti pitkittyneen epätietoisuuden vaikutuksista henkilön työn menetyksestä aiheutuvaan sopeutumisprosessiin ja uudelleensijoittumiseen sekä viitteitä työyhteisön ilmapiiristä. Tutkimus tuo myös näkökulman muuttuvan ja kriisiytyvän organisaation selviytymiseen ja hallintatapoja käsittelevään tutkimukseen.

Tutkimusaineisto muodostuu postikyselystä, haastatteluista ja Tilastokeskuksen henkilörekisteriajoihin perustuvasta muistiosta. Tutkimusmetodi on pääosin kvantitatiivinen. Haastatteluja on käytetty tutkimustulosten kuvailemisessa.

Tutkimuksessa havaittiin sukupuolella, iällä, koulutuksella, ammattiasemalla, asuinpaikalla ja vaiheittaisella poistumisella organisaatiosta olevan vaikutuksia henkilöiden uudelleensijoittumiseen, turvattomuuden kokemiseen ja työn menetyksen hyväksymiseen. Samoin johtamistavalla ja esimiehen toiminnalla havaittiin yhteys henkilöiden sijoittumisessa työelämään ja uuteen elämäntilanteeseen. Vastaavasti organisaation järjestämillä tukitoimilla ei havaittu merkittävää suoraa vaikutusta henkilöiden uudelleentyöllistymiseen. Ensimmäisessä vaiheessa vapaaehtoisesti organisaatiosta poislähteneet uudelleen työllistyivät ja sopeutuivat uuteen elämäntilanteeseen myöhemmin poislähteneitä paremmin. Työyhteisön ilmapiirissä oli myös nähtävissä muutoksia henkilövalintojen pitkittyessä. Entiset pankkilaiset olivat voimakkaasti sitoutuneet organisaatioon. Tutkimuksessa tuli esiin, että pankkiorganisaatio oli muodostunut useille vastaajille ns. "kultaiseksi häkiksi", jolloin henkilöt eivät osanneet edes nähdä muita vaihtoehtoja elämässään, saati toimia aktiivisesti niiden saavuttamiseksi.

Tutkimuksessa käytetyt aineiston keruumenetelmät tarjoavat mahdollisuuden jatkaa tutkimusta. Aineistossa korostui tutkimushetkellä tyytyväisyys työn menetyksen suomaan vapauteen. Tämän johdosta kiinnostavaksi jatkotutkimuksen kohteeksi nousee, onko organisaation tarjoamilla tukijärjestelyillä jopa hidastava vaikutus henkilöiden uudelleensijoittumiseen ja sopeutumiseen tarkasteltaessa pitkällä aikavälillä. Toiseksi mielenkiintoiseksi jatkokysymykseksi nousee, muuttuuko työorganisaation kriisien luonne, niiden kokeminen ja selviytymiskeinot. Ottamalla voimakkaampi identiteetin näkökulma yksilöiden elämäntilanteiden tulkitsemiseen mahdollistaisi jatkossa myös kiinnostavan tutkimusasetelman. Tutkimus antaa käytännön ohjeita henkilösupistusten toteuttamiseen yksilön näkökulmasta tarkasteltuna.

Usually, when two companies merge, it means that the new organisation must cut its costs by laying off personnel. In this case, when The Union Bank of Finland Ltd (SYP) and Kansallispankki (KOP) decided to merge in February 1995 it meant that 7463 employees left their jobs during a period of two years. The new Merita Bank reduced the number of employees by offering them a short-time employment, by giving golden handshakes for those who lost their jobs or made a decision to resign themselves. The department of HRM established a support program for those who lost their jobs. The program included financial benefits; a salary of six to twelve months and prolonged personnel loan benefits. Also outplacement services were provided.

The purpose of this thesis was to study the employees who lost their jobs and accepted the colden handshakes offered by the bank. The thesis concentrates on how they were re-employed, how they adjusted to their new situation and on how they coped. Also the outcome of the support program was studied from the individuals viewpoint. Most of the employees studied had a strong commitment to their job and to the bank as an organisation. This study aims at explaining how the employees felt about their situation concerning work, identity and life in general one year after they lost their jobs.

In this study, the data was collected by both quantitative and qualitative methods, mainly quantitative, though. Qualitative data was used only to support the quantitative method. The data collection, including a questionnaire, interviews and archive documents, was carried out in 1997-1998.

The main consequenses of losing a job were freedom, satisfaction, economical insecurity and willingness to keep other things in life constant and permanent. The golden handshakes helped in the beginning. If an employee s financial situation was good, it was possible to have an extra holiday. However, if the situation was hard already, the extra benefits did not help. Only a new job with a stabile income or the benefits people got from their local trade union helped them economically and reduced their in security. The employees did not dream about big changes in the future. Quite the opposite, they were satisfied if the circumstances stayed stable. Their main coping strategy was to adapt to their new situation and to try and seek social support from their partners, friends and relatives.

The outplacement programs in Merita consisted of career counselling services and job search training. Also psychological coaching, information lectures, a job finding scheme, retraining programs and career planning services were provided. In addition, an employment agency and occupational health services were at he employees disposal.

The outcome and the effects of the HRM actions clearly depended on the individuals and their situation. In this case it seemed that the personnel assistance programs did not have a significant role in the employees re-employment or in the way they coped with their new situation. Furthermore, I have noticed that most employees did not want or need the support provided by Merita Bank. Those who left the organisation first and independently sought jobs on the labour market. They re-employed best and had alternatives to choose from. The ones who found a new job described their leaving Merita Bank as a start of a new period in their lives. They made the deal and accepted for example the personnel loan benefits which meant an extra advantage for them. Those who left the organisation last had bad experiences of the leadership and the working climate at the bank. These experiences had had an impact on these situation and continuing their lives. Those who were left unemployed tired to compensate their lack of work for example with hobbies but obviously it did not work that well.

Those who were not very active and waited to see how their own situation would turn out to be were not so likely to get a new job. They were usually the ones highly committed to their work and the organisation. For those left unemployed it meant a disappointment at an individual level, unfair treatment, insecurity, financial stress, family problems and lack of social contacts. They participated more in the support programs organised by the bank than the winners. Unfortunately, their problems could not be solved by the HRM actions.

According to the findings, the influence of demograpfic factors was remarkable. Age, the level of education, profession, gender, the length of employment with the bank, as well as the place where the employee lived all affected the final outcome. Those who were re-employed best were young, under 40, well educated, lived near Helsinki, the capital, and had a short commitment with the bank.Furthermore, men re-employed better than woman.

Half of the respondents described the behavior and actions of their managers as being quite unsatisfactory. They would have wanted to get support, empathy and real discussions. It seems that a part of managers actions was dictated by their egoism and their eagerness to protect their own jobs. As a leadership problem the managers mentioned the lack of information and directions. Previous studies have verified that the behaviour of the managers in fusion is often weak. This study has confirmed this assumption.