Seven Ways to Be a Better Manager in a Recession

Here are seven tips to help you manage your staff efficiently despite
marketplace pressures and decreased morale. 

1. Talk often and in person

Get out there and talk to your staff about what’s going on with the
company. Be as transparent as possible about where the company stands. Give
employees the numbers behind company performance as this clarifies for them
where the business needs to change and how their jobs connect to the bigger
picture. It’s also a good time to put a stop to any rumours circulating.

2. Get creative about cuts

If there’s any way you can save money without affecting your staff, look
at those options first. Evaluate suppliers. Are you getting the best deal? Are
you minimising the use of lights and heating and reducing paper usage through
double-sided printing? Try cutting back on recruitment and reviewing your use
of temporary staff. Also encourage staff to think about how jobs can be done
more efficiently and cost effectively. 

3. Don’t give up on professional development

Professional development is often pushed to the bottom of the “to do”
list because of time and budget constraints. However if redundancies have been
made, the remaining staff will be expected to work even harder than before and
often doing multiple jobs to get through the recession. Give them your time
through one-on-one meetings to discuss their issues, concerns and career goals.
Also provide staff with the opportunity to job shadow or cross-train. Think
about creative, non-financial ways of motivating staff such as recognition
schemes, team-building days and staff awards.

4. Allow your staff to help make the tough decisions

Allowing staff to participate in on-going decision making restores some
self-confidence and will make staff more invested in the company’s success and
will give management a more honest look at what’s not working. Tough decisions
may include pay cuts and expenditure cuts but nobody wants to loose their job
and they may be willing to look at some marginal cuts if it saves the company
and their job.

5. Support employees' health and well-being

Make sure workplace support and occupational health provision are in
place to prevent high levels of work-related stress. Where possible provide
opportunities for flexible working to help employees balance their work and
home lives. Ensure you have mechanisms in place to deal with workplace stress
and potential conflict at an early stage.

6. Strengthen line management capability

You will maintain staff motivation and morale during hard times if you
have excellent managers carrying out transparent processes. Support your managers so they
are better able to operate in periods of change. Good managers have the ability
to fully engage with their staff so remember to brief them fully on
developments so they can talk to their teams face-to-face. Staff need to feel
confident that their managers are in control, are taking a long term strategic
view and that they are being treated fairly if job losses are inevitable.

7. Think long term

Spend a few hours each week thinking about, and talking about, your
company and department’s future. What can you do that will deliver unique value
to customers when the economy begins to recover? What can you do now that will
help the business survive until then? This can be a positive way to deal with
the stress of the moment.

You need to start thinking about how you will handle redundancies at
least three months before you anticipate they might happen. Talk to your HR
team and establish a policy and procedure to be used if redundancies are
unavoidable.

This is a guest post by Nikki, founder of CV Writing & Job Interview
coaching www.mycvandme.co.uk