Beyond the Recession

It might be a bit early to say so, but a lot of indicators are promising an end to the deeply feared phenomenon of global recession. A phenomenon that shut the doors of many companies and also ended a lot of promising careers. The impact has been profound more so because we are all a part of "connected" world order

Throughout this period, academicians and practioners have been giving different advices on how to tide the crisis. But with the end of the turmoil near in sight its time to look back, reflect, change and quickly adapt to the new world.
Easier said than done, its time to really look at some of below mentioned things and then reflect on the change it can bring.

1. Damage assessment - When recession took over, organizations resorted to a number of measures, including cost cutting, workforce reduction and in some cases restructuring. In some cases, this has led to brand erosion, loss of trust and lower employee morale. Its time to assess the extent of damage and quickly ensure that it does not cause further damage.

2. Need assessment - Organizations and in particular HR needs to quickly assess what it has lost in the time passed, is it competitive advantage, its brand value or its employees ? How does it ensure that it maintains the edge in the competitive landscape.

3. Talent Assessment - Its time to assess the current available talent. See what could be threat factors and how organizations can ensure they are able to retain their workforce when things are better in the job market.

To ensure that organizations are able to do a great job they might like to look at some of the following

A. Check Engagement levels in the organization

B. Quick assessment of the pulse of HR processes, so as to better deal with gaps and also strengthen the process framework.

C. Reassess values / culture framework to see if that needs to undergo a change.

D. Look at redifing Employer brand.

E. Create a more networked organization, with more focus on collaborations.

F. Create teams to leverage cross skills

G. Last but not the least focus on developing strong leadership in the organization.This leadership would help your organization reach the next level.

While this may look prescreptive in nature, not all would apply to all organizations. Its time to chose what you need to do bring about the vibrancy of your organization back, who knows it may be not all of this but a recreational get together. Only time would tell how well organizations shrug the baggage of past and look beyond recession. The sooner the better !!!