Workplace Strategies for the Recession

• Keep up morale in the workplace to enhance job satisfaction and productivity.
• Increase communication by being open and honest with your employees; share not only what you know, but also what you do not know about the economic impact on your organization.
• Invest in training for your employees to continue planning for the future; it will boost morale by demonstrating their importance to the company’s success
• To the extent possible, engage your employees in major decisions, such as layoffs and salary cuts, to increase employee buy-in.
• By consulting your employees on such important decisions, you may benefit from their perspectives on how to cut costs and eliminate inefficient processes.
• Share good news and try to remain positive.
• Try to avoid layoffs. The University of Wisconsin-Madison published a study in 2008 indicating that downsizing can lead to a higher rate of turnover, leaving organizations without the skilled labour force required to continue production through the challenging economic situation.
• Programs such as Work-Sharing, which is an Employment Insurance (EI) initiative, may create a win-win solution for organizations whose business has decreased as a result of circumstances beyond their control. It allows employers to retain skilled staff for the economic recovery while employees maintain their skills and protect income by drawing on EI benefits.

These important messages come from the Alliance of Sector Council’s article “Dealing with downsizing: The right way to manage your workforce during a recession”. Access the full article at: http://www.councils.org/resources-and-publications/trends-and-issues-articles/Dealing_with_downsizing/