The Effect of the Attacks of 9/11 on Organizational Policies, Employee Attitudes and Workers' Psychological States

Abstract

Problem statement: The attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11) on the United States have had a profound effect on organizations and their employees. These effects occurred in the days and weeks immediately following the attacks, as well as in the years since the attacks occurred. In commemoration of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, this study focuses on the impact that the attacks of September 11, 2001 have had on organizational policies, employee attitudes and workers' psychological states. Approach: Managers were surveyed regarding the effects of 9/11 on these issues. Results: The results of the study indicate that there was an immediate impact of the attacks on most of these issues. However, the results also suggest that the impact of these effects diminished over time. The results also varied by the size of the company with larger firms making more changes to their organizational policies than smaller firms. Conclusion: The effect of the attacks of 9/11 on organizational policies, employee attitudes and workers’ psychological states may be felt for several years and should be investigated in future studies.