Workplace experts say that as the economy continues to slow and layoffs continue, it is important that companies take preventative action against ex-worker retaliation. According to an annual survey of Fortune 1000 companies by a Chicago security firm, theft of company property and breaches in the company’s computer network are the two most common acts of revenge. From a different perspective, the companies currently dismissing employees are generally younger and more inexperienced than companies involved in the layoffs of the early 1990’s, thus suggesting that the mishandling of layoffs may have caused ex-employees to be unnecessarily bitter.
See "Employers Maintaining Vigilance in the Face of Layoff Rage", Eve Tahmincioglu, The New York Times, July 31, 2001