The New York Times reports that companies are recognizing the value of retaining good, proven employees even during the recession. Instead of relying solely on layoffs, some are trying other approaches that cut down on labor costs while making sure that employees can hold onto their jobs. This also means that the company doesn’t lose reliable workers who know their business.
It’s not from any warm and fuzzy feelings that organizations are doing this but because companies today measure the productivity and value of their employees more carefully (or think they do), and recognize that they can’t afford to lose good workers.
“A growing number of employers, hoping to avoid or limit layoffs, are introducing four-day workweeks, unpaid vacations and voluntary or enforced furloughs, along with wage freezes, pension cuts and flexible work schedules. These employers are still cutting labor costs, but hanging onto the labor,” reports the NY Times article.
If you are a manager who’s been asked to trim costs, please consider these more creative options.
And if you are out of work, but understand these kinds of issues, there’s a BIG opportunity for you to succeed if you can carve out a niche as a workforce saver who can still save money.
In other words, as I tell my coaching clients who want to just hunker down during a recession and avoid working on their real career dreams—with any big changes in the economy (good or bad), comes big opportunities for anyone who knows how to keep organizations succeeding in the new circumstances.
So if you are creative and alert to the idea of opportunity, this recession, as awful as it’s proving for many people, does also provide new niches to pursue if those match your passions and skills.