The recent government shutdown can have a profound impact on federal workers. Research by management experts shows that the threat of imminent uncertainty, such as furlough or layoff, can be just as stressful as the furlough or layoff itself. A management professor at West Chester University, Anthony Wheeler, says psychologically, they are the same, the threat to one’s sense of security is the same. The more often the worker hears the threat, such as Presidential tweets, the greater the stress.

The studies looked at furloughs of state employees and layoffs of nurses before and after  hospital mergers. The studies found that high performers who had options would leave for other jobs elsewhere. And, they tend to leave quickly.

Another professor, Lisa Baranik at the University of Albany in New York, studied the 13 day shutdown in 2013. For up to five weeks after the shutdown ends, the effects lingered among the workers. Furloughs, she explained, are about much more than financial considerations. For most workers, the job is also a source of social interaction. They can discuss families and positive accomplishments at work. When they lose those bonds, they lose much of the positive effects of the job. Those positive effects take time to re-build.

Some folks suggest that the effect on federal workers is different, because they tend to have more of a sense of mission. They serve a cause, something larger than themselves. But, said one expert, this most recent shutdown and the threat of a second shutdown soon afterward makes this experience much more like layoffs in the private sector. See the Feb. 12, 201 edition of the San Antonio Express News for more information about these studies.