Now is the time when you need good staff more than ever...

but in these days of recession, where redundancies are commonplace, credit terms are being stretched, and a general feeling of worry seems to pervade every corner of the workplace, why are your “loyal” staff lacking the commitment that they should have? After all, you’ve been good to them for years haven’t you?

Well, you may well have paid them, but in the 21^st century that isn’t enough. People have unlimited choices, and can have their CV distributed to the four corners of the world within minutes if they’re of a mind to.

If you don’t communicate effectively with them; explaining what you’re doing and why, helping them to share your vision and making them feel included, there’s little chance they’ll be there for you – why should they be?

Imagine Company X.

It’s been manufacturing widgets for years, and whilst it is proud of its past, it has been very keen to keep it’s employees happy. Everyone in the company has enjoyed healthy bonuses, and the last two decades has been a boom time in the widget market much like the economy as a whole. This has meant that a relaxed atmosphere, a happy and committed workforce, and a string growth have been hallmarks of the company.

However, the last 18 months has not been quite so easy. Increased competition from China, a slowdown in the global market for widgets, and clients taking longer to pay has meant that Company X has had to make some redundancies.

Because the company hasn’t explained why they’ve made the redundancies, the remaining staff fear that they’re going to be next, they feel in the dark – they didn’t know that the company was in trouble until some of their friends lost their jobs.

There’s now a tangible sense of low morale amongst the workforce, and despite the fact that much of the dead-wood has been removed and savings have been made, there seem to be other problems emerging. Things are going from bad to worse.

After what could have been cleansing for the business, other areas are starting to crack; increased absenteeism, reduced commitment, increased staff churn, even graffiti in the toilets all help to make the company look and feel like it’s the end of the road.

Had the staff been on side, it could have been a very different story. An on-going campaign to engage and excite the staff could have helped them to feel some ownership of the business, and been sympathetic its plight. Hell, they might even have solved the problem for Company X.

Staff who know where they’re going and why are more committed, and work harder than those that are simply remunerated (no matter how you dress it up as a package of employee benefits). Staff want to see how their contribution helps the company achieve its goals, and they want to help shape the future of the business too, they want to have a voice and have it heard.

In a recession, they way to make businesses strong isn’t to cut staffing costs, but to maximise value from those overheads, by getting people to work harder, faster and better. And the easy way to do that is to make them want the company to succeed.

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