| By now most economists and armchair experts agree | | | | be caught severely short staffed. Savvy companies |
| we're in a recession. | | | | have a great opportunity right now to hire talented |
| What both the educated and lay pundits find more | | | | people who have been down-sized by other |
| difficult to agree upon are the answers to troubling | | | | organizations. |
| questions like "How deep will the recession be?" and | | | | 4.) Make cuts strategically - Consider outsourcing the |
| "How long will it last?" | | | | functions you can to help reduce costs, but don't |
| Estimates for recovery vary wildly from the blackly | | | | forget to take good care of any employees you might |
| dismal to the rosily optimistic. It seems the only thing | | | | eliminate. Generous packages create goodwill and |
| we can know for sure is that no one really knows. | | | | increase loyalty from those who remain. What's more, |
| With the future so uncertain, business publications have | | | | the departing employees just might be more willing to |
| taken to promoting the philosophy that recessions | | | | return to work when times are better and your |
| create opportunity... at least for those with the moxie | | | | company faces the global staffing shortages that the |
| to make success happen. While this may come | | | | recession postponed. Generous packages might seem |
| across to some as a tired cheerleading attempt, there | | | | out of the question in tight times but you should give |
| is soundness to the ideology. Even during the Great | | | | serious consideration to offering the maximum that |
| Depression companies like Kellogg's, Proctor & | | | | you can. Your company will be better able to recruit |
| Gamble and Chevrolet did more than survive, they | | | | new staff in the future if its reputation is bolstered by |
| excelled. The people who steered their winning course | | | | how it treated people during the 2009 recession. |
| did so with a combination of courage and | | | | 5.) Be strategic about delivering PD - Use your slower |
| inventiveness. In other words, they used moxie. | | | | times to sharpen the skills, technical and personal, of |
| So where do you start? What kind of changes will | | | | your employees. This will help keep staff members |
| ensure your company succeeds? Below are seven | | | | engaged and equip them to provide the exceptional |
| human resource strategies that are easy to implement | | | | service that can sustain your company now and |
| and can make a big difference. | | | | contribute to its prosperity later (see 6). |
| 1.) Lead with Confidence - During these troubling | | | | 6.) Take great care of your customers - Remember |
| financial times, it's natural to want to take the backseat | | | | the days when you attended networking events to |
| until the road ahead becomes clear. However, | | | | stay connected, while secretly hoping you would not |
| companies need strong leadership to prosper, now | | | | get too many new engagements because you did not |
| more than ever. Providing direction inspires confidence | | | | know where you would find the staff, time or energy |
| in your employees and helps build a faithful staff. | | | | to provide the service? It all seems like a distant |
| Businesses that lead effectively now will retain loyal | | | | memory but it was probably less than 12 months ago. |
| staff to meet their present and future challenges. | | | | What most business owners wouldn't do if they could |
| 2.) Communicate effectively - Making sure people | | | | just have that problem again! |
| have the information they need is the foundation for | | | | Instead you're seeing business decline and you're |
| any good relationship. Being honest and open with | | | | wondering how to regain it. Part of the answer is in |
| employees is especially important at a time when they | | | | training your people to be customer service specialists. |
| may be dealing with serious concerns outside of the | | | | Step back to the times when you only hired people |
| office. Present worries might include a laid off spouse, | | | | who would go the extra mile to give your customers |
| the possibility of their own layoff, fears about not being | | | | exceptional experiences with your company. Re-new |
| able to pay the bills, etc. As their leader you have the | | | | your company's customer focus now! |
| responsibility to lessen any stress they might be feeling | | | | 7.) Avoid layoffs with creative strategies - Before you |
| by communicating openly about the outlook for staff | | | | cut staff, consider alternative ways to save money |
| members at your company. Don't forget to | | | | while still saving jobs. A day off without pay, work |
| communicate frequently because your employees' | | | | sharing arrangements, worker sharing with other |
| financial positions might be changing quickly right now. | | | | companies, salary cut-backs, government assistance |
| 3.) Recruit purposefully - The anticipated global | | | | programs - these are only a few of the numerous |
| shortage of workers has not gone away: it has just | | | | possibilities that may work for you and your |
| been postponed. The reason? Baby boomers are | | | | employees. Get creative! |
| choosing to work a little longer because their | | | | Whether you consider yourself to have moxie or not, |
| retirement savings have been deflated. Once the | | | | the current recession calls for courageous and |
| market comes back fully, you should expect a mass | | | | inventive thinking. Implementing ideas like the seven |
| exodus as the boomers leave the workforce. | | | | above can not only help your company weather this |
| Companies who make severe staffing cuts and don't | | | | global storm, but position it for full sail ahead when the |
| keep their HR people connected to potential hires will | | | | storm has passed. |