Dr. Gail Fairhurst, Professor of Communication and CECS researcher at the University of Cincinnati, is a nationally-recognized expert in leadership communication. Her current research interests include: leadership communication and organizational change; leadership communication during work force restructuring; the communication of corporate philosophy statements; and leader-member relationships.She frequently publishes in both communication and organizational science outlets, and she has consulted with a number of businesses and

organizations, including: the U.S Air Force; Boeing; Procter & Gamble; General Electric; Kroger; and State Farm Insurance.

       Work Force Restructuring at Environmental Remediation Sites

Corporate downsizing and work force transition have become facts of life for most modern day corporations. Examples of this can be found among the Department of Energy’s (DOE) environmental remediation contractors who have been charged with cleaning up hazardous materials. Issues and tensions arise at DOE remediation sites due to conflicting needs, such as the need to terminate a certain number of employees at regular intervals, and the need to retain some knowledgeable employees at the site for completing clean-up.

Tensions also arise from the multiple interests that must be managed, including those of remediation workers, the site contractor, the local community, DOE, and the Office of the Inspector General.
       Conducted by CECS researcher Dr. Gail Fairhurst, with Project Manager Rhonda Barnes-Kloth, and CECS Graduate Research Fellow Dan Cahill, the Work Force Restructuring study will examine the effects of Fluor Daniel Fernald’s (FDF; DOE-Fernald site remediation contractor) innovative managed attrition program on turnover outcomes over time and with different populations. The goal of managed attrition is to avoid involuntary separation of the work force through openness in sharing manpower planning information. (The DOE-Fernald site, located 17 miles north of Cincinnati, OH, formerly refined uranium as part of the U.S. DOE nuclear weapons production complex.)
      During the first phase of the study, completed in late 1998, a series of interviews examined leadership communication in the work force restructuring program at the DOE-Fernald site. The second phase will involve a survey of current site employees to uncover the key communication variables and outcomes associated with work force restructuring and its impact on survivors.
      The second phase of the Work Force Restructuring study is funded by a sponsored research award from FDF.

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Last modified on May 24, 1999