Employer, Employee Hiring, recession, post-recession..

To see company's who actively laid off in the name of recession, scrambling for hiring. It will be interesting to see the response of employees. Yesterday it was companies who had upper hand & now it is the turn of employees. Now, employees are moving around with 2-3 offers and leaving the employers/prospective employers in lurch.

Maybe, all will learn the lesson, "Layoff" is not the best option in a recession, now the growth of such companies are getting stunted because of this and biggest casuality is Branding amongst employees. The employees should also watch out we are still not completely out of it.

In my opinion companies should look at their policy closely instead of letting go people they could have explored other options of survival.

1. Take a bigger cut in salary at Executive Management level i.e. company get more room CEO drawing 1 Million salary could have done with 800K and similarly other down in the management hierarchy and employees taking cut in salaries or a temporary freeze/cut for companies and employees to pass through the tough phase.

2. The communication to the employees from top management that will sensitise the employee's what the problem the company is facing and what are the suggestion from the employees to make it a participative decision, specially in a scenario it is going to affect the large chunk of employees.

3. To explore options, like taking compulsory off for a month i.e. Leave without pay for all employees that could have reduced the cost but at the same time, will be able to retain and increase loyalty to companies.

4. Imbibe, cost savings in the organization by implementing operational cost reduction by strictly implementing finish work in working hours, people hardly realise that in an organization 30% of the cost is due to making people productive i.e. electricity bills, phone cost, the list can go on. It is rather strange the value of the employee contribution is judged by how much does he/she stays in office or work late and not by his completed task.

5. In IT companies specially, their is lot of productive hours that are wasted in NOT getting right the first time culture, my experience tells me the same work by a smart worker is done in 2 hours but some other worker takes 2 days but due to T&M contract model leads us to give more work and patronize the mediocre person. The biggest causality of services model is promoting medicrocity in the system rather than productivity models that promotes meritocracy in the system.
Though, the critics will say, we are implementing the productivity model but may I ask them where is the incentive to do the productivity model remember it is hourly billing.

6. Lack of legacy planning i.e. Today their is a project the companies goes all out to fill their project and bench. What is the marketing, sales, practice doing in their planning based on their manpower planning. If, I may say so their is a major disconnect in the business process planning, though being a major input.

People make Great Companies and NOT Companies make great Employees....Remember. So, next time you are choosing a employer be careful to join the company that will treasure their employees as their family heirlooms.
As for employers.. Employers treasure your manpower, that will make you a Great Company.