10 Steps to Kill Recession (Part 1)

TCS has shown the door to 500 employees (2-3 years of work experience), citing performance issues. IBM lay off 700 employees. And the most recent one that Microsoft plans to layoff 9000 to 15000 employees.

With companies looking at trimming themselves and using cost-cutting measures, which are threatening projects, you end up with employees with ZERO morale/motivation. For managers (who still have their job), getting the most out of employees in this kind of environment can seem like an impossible task.

In fact rather than pressing the panic button, I feel it’s a perfect opportunity to re-engineer processes and fix what’s broken. Here hard decisions can not only keep your team motivated but pull your company out of its slump.

1.Get the right Message (For Mid Level Managers)

Calling the economy and customers as a reason for companies suffering implies that the situation is totally out of company’s hands and let in large part to fate. This attitude can hit the morale at office and disrupt the employees from focusing on problem at hand.

In a situation when everyone in the company from management to employee is confused about how to proceed ahead, mid level managers need to be positive interpreters. They need to speak to employees in small groups and be as candid as possible about where the company stands. This is a perfect way to keep out of negative rumors.

2.Open the Books (For Management)

Giving employees the numbers behind company performance clarifies where the business needs to change and how their jobs connect to the bigger picture. If you’re going to be transparent, take the necessary time to teach employees about how the business works. Managers should start with what employees probably already understand, like operational numbers, and then connect the dots with how those numbers increase gross margin and generate cash flow.

3.Focus on the future (For Management)

Pulling the company through the downturn isn’t going to be easy, but emphasizing the challenge can have its benefits. Convey to your employees that it is a great time for them to realize that they can play a role in discovering opportunities for the company.

4.The You in Team (For Senior Managers)

The employees’ collective commitment and collaboration is critical in this environment. Senior managers should make an effort to be more visible and available to employees. This can spark productivity and bring the team together. Start attending smaller meetings that you usually skip. Go to them first, and ask how their work is going. This is about knowing firsthand what employees need.

5.Emotions to fix what’s broken (For Management & Senior Managers)

Usually in companies, the management decides the strategy and let it trickle down. The problem with this style is that it rarely makes the employees emotionally attached to the strategy. The fact is that, it is all about problem-solving and discipline, and this is where employees come in. Management should be using employees in the effort to identify where the problem is and how to fix the problem. For example, if the management ask employees to identify how to cut costs and how to implement it. By doing this the management not only will be utilizing worker’s expertise to make them more invested in the company’s success, but it also gives management a more honest look at what’s not working.