What a strange time it is to be in HR in these days.

The last couple of years have been frantic; how to recruit the “souls” desired by our lords and masters have been challenging. The Applicants where few and far between, and the “prices” for their services gone up equally.

Now the times has changed.

Like a cheap motel the neon sign flashes “No Vacancies”…, all over the country lay-offs are rolling as either a tsunami or as in most sectors: small waves, but waves nevertheless.

So – are HR just going in to a catatonic state of relapse… are the HR departments going to be filled with Post-traumatised staff? Are the cobwebs going to hide the Departmental Sign on the door.

Hell no…

It is during times like this the key issues are clarified:

Recruitment

 In these times the right people does become more than a nessecity – they become crucial. The prosperous time makes it easy to get a job. Often you hire people you are not quite certain are capable of doing the job, but you need to cover the ressource gap somehow.

Now you need people who have the will to keep fighting. As a client of mine once said: “It is easy to sell, when the costumers are knocking on the door, yelling to get in a buy your goods. It is in the poor days – that the real salesguy/girl goes out with a determined look and succeed.

The leadership profile changes too. It takes a different kind of leader to drive a company, department or team in these days. A Optimist with a touch of realism – one that dares to enter the corporate area labelled “Caution – Here be dragons and ghosts of Failure Past”. Someone that leads by example. I always think of Jan Carlsson from Scandinavian Airline Systems [SAS] – excellent in times like this, but poor in performance when he did the turn-over.

HR Really needs to be on it toes, and push for a clear recruitment philosphy [Note: I use the word philosophy rather than policy] – and it need the CEO/COO/CFO/CHRO to define the core values being looked for. The strategy driven into recruitment.  

Training and Development

You need the brainiest, most motivated, most innovative employees. During the “good times” – there is never a focus on training, education and personal development: “…No need, as we are succeeding and No Time, costumers are pushing, pulling and jumping on us.”

Now training is being the victim of cut-back. Error number 1!!

Now you have the time to train and grow your employees skills; you need them to sharply honed. The costumers are few and far between in a increasingly hardcore market. It is a fact you can’t really fire as many as you want [you really should be ashamed of thinking of doing it anyway ], so why not use the excess resource now available to train them so those not being trained will experience the workload decent and meaningfull? The end result will be motivated employees appreciating working for a company that isn’t triggerhappy with the Pink Slips.

Corporate Decency and help reign in the Corporate Reptilian Brain.

Even the smallest company has a moral obligation to act with a social conscience balanced with the fact that it every-now-and-then has to do some really tough things in order to survive. 

More than often management feels a desire to show the ability to act – either to persuade the shareholders that they know what they are doing or perhaps just to convince themselves of the very same fact.

Friends – it is the reptillian brain that does the talking in those times.

I really think it is the job of HR partners and managers not to jump on that band-waggon; what is needed is time to reach a mature decision – not just a decision to act. Often facts are needed – then let HR help provide them and put them into a hollistic perspective. Often alternatives to letting people go are needed – then let HR help design them! Let HR help facilitate a alternative contingency plan for the company. We are not involved in the daily operation as such – we might help see new solutions.

Corporate Branding.

Should you decide to follow my humble advices mentioned above. you have laid the foundation to a positive corporate brand. You have shown your employees that you care and you have shown that you take your responsibility as a part of the greater society serious. That, my friends, is a positive brand.

It is more and more common that costumers factor into consideration the work-place enviroment into consideration, when selecting a long-term contract. That means you might even get a head-start in the cruel game… Wouldn’t that be nice?

Next think is to use it in away that is mature; avoid stickers like “We are nice and decent – shop at us”; let your actions speak for you. At some point of time the Fourth Power of State [as journalists and media like to think of them selves] will be loosing the “Crisis language” and will even start to feel so depressed them selves, that they will be looking for positive stories. Then they will find you… and use that attention with care. Let HR help you; we have the time and we are often know some journalists, and perhaps have an in-house journalist that knows somebody.