I am getting back to work on this blog. I got sidetracked for a while and need to manage better, since my work with this blog is important.
The economy is wreaking havoc on organizations throughout the US (and globally). It is normal for most companies to react to this situation by laying off employees, which exacerbates the problem. So far our community is faring reasonably well, but as things continue to tank elsewhere, things are bound to deteriorate here as well. My son just called from Chicago and his company is getting ready to lay off workers--he'll know something by the end of the week. Since he just relocated to work there in September, he is junior and expects to be cut. Fortunately, he and his wife are frugal and have enough savings to get by for awhile. Not that it makes it any easier.
Sometimes lay offs are the only way a company can survive. It is always a good idea to constantly review the numbers of people an organization has versus requirements. It is also a good idea to have a continuing performance review process that allows an organization to know the skills and performance of their employees. If a company pays attention to their requirements and employee performance on a regular basis, they should be running lean to begin with and better able to avoid dramatic cutbacks in less prosperous times.
I have talked to many managers and business owners who seem to have little idea of many things they can do short of layoffs. There are also some long term repercussions of lay offs that will affect a business long after the economic downturn is over. Recognizing that, I put together a workshop and a white paper on "People Practices in an Economic Downturn."
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