This article tests the hypotheses that the effects of layoffs on surviving employees' level of organizational commitment and job performance will vary according to (a) how close employees are to the layoffs, (b) their perceptions of the fairness of the layoffs, and (c) their position in the organizational hierarchy. Analyses were conducted on 1,900 respondents employed by a large U.S. company. Results indicated that although perceptions of layoff unfairness were associated with lower commitment regardless of employee position, close contact with layoffs was associated with the greater use of sick hours by surviving managers and professionals, but with lower use of sick hours and higher work effort by employees in lower positions.
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