When employees must be let go, the process by which jobs are eliminated can make a difference. Loss of attachment, lack of information, and a perception of apparent managerial capriciousness as the basis for decisions about who will be terminated cause anxiety and an obsession with personal survival. The negative cycle of reactions may not be inevitable. If survivors feel that the process used to decide who to let go was fair, their productivity and the quality of their job performance may not suffer as much. It's not the terminations per se that create bitterness it's the manner in which the terminations are handled. Survivors often express feelings of disgust and anger when their friends and colleagues were fired. If they believe their own performance is no better than those who are let go, survivors may feel guilty that they have kept their jobs. Statistics showing that older displaced workers who find new work earn about one-third less than they did in their old job contribute to the survivors' angst. Thus, in developing human resource policies, procedures, and practices for effective downsizing and layoffs, even the needs of survivors require attention.