Recruitment in a downturn: Planning for the future

A disturbingly large number of organisations have reacted to uncertain economic times by downsizing with an axe rather than a scalpel. To a certain extent, that approach is almost understandable - corporate history has shown us that it is difficult to be strategic in a crisis. In terms of personnel, the result tends to be a loss of control on two fronts: Organisations struggle to retain the employees they do want to keep. Organisations find it difficult to attract the talent they need to move forward. That loss of control is a challenge, but there are a number of steps HR Departments can take to plan for the upturn (when it finally arrives). Undertaking that planning now puts you ahead of the game, and ahead of the competition, when it comes to competing for the best talent as the economy recovers.