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At the time of publication, America’s unemployment rate stood at 8.3%. That is the highest it has been since 1982, when another severe recession had begun to wind down during the early days of the Reagan administration. At its peak, that recession saw unemployment rise to 10.8%. Our current recession may match or exceed that figure.

There is another important measurement that is often overlooked during a recession, because it is very difficult to quantify. Underemployment represents some arbitrary number of people, who seem to have “fallen off the earth” during hard times. They are hard to count, but they are out there in impressive numbers. These are people who may have exhausted their unemployment benefits; never qualified for them in the first place; or whom have accepted jobs that offer fewer hours and much less pay than they are accustomed to making. Yes, this is the often mentioned laid-off Wall Street broker, who ends up making Frappacino’s at Starbucks or stocking shelves at Walmart for only three days per week. “It helps pay the bills,” he will sheepishly tell you.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines “underemployment” as work accepted at less than 35 hours per week by those who would prefer to work additional hours. The number of underemployed people in America, right now, is not as clearly defined (as the unemployed), because the only way to approximate it is by the monthly sample surveys conducted by the US Depatrment of Labor. When factored into the latest unemployment figure (8.3%), the effected population reaches a whopping 13.9%. This means that roughly 5.6% of the entire population is stuck in part-time jobs with fewer hours than they would need to qualify them for health benefits. Obviously, their pay checks also average lower wages, based on the nature of most part-time work and the limited hours made available to them. Therefore, many of our fellow Americans are currently underworked, underpaid and totally unprotected from the economic devastation caused by a catastrophic illness.

The decision to accept underemployment is often a difficult one with many variables to consider – some of them psychological. It is not easy for a former manager, who was recently responsible for a directing a large staff and held accountable for making major decisions, to accept a lesser job in which he or she must now accept being directed and closely supervised as a low-wage earning operative. Perhaps, the job is too physically demanding for one who was a former desk manager. What if the pace is much quicker than he is used to, such as the speed necessary to prepare and serve fast food? There is no guarantee that the brightest investment banker will succeed taking orders at McDonalds.

Of course, there is also the perceived stigma associated with taking a low-wage, part-time job when one was formerly viewed as at the height of his or her professional career. For most, it is perfectly acceptable when a retired person takes a part-time job in corporate security, but when a downsized executive in his or her forties accepts the same position it is an entirely different matter – at least in his or her own mind. Ah…”in his or her own mind.” Do family, good friends and neighbors really perceive individuals, who take a job to make ends meet as losers? Probably not.

Any reasonable person who has ever been unemployed himself/herself or are close to others that have been can empathize with those presently going through our tough times. In this economy, almost everyone is affected by the economic crisis in one way or another. If you are not presently unemployed, you may be concerned about your own job and probably have lost some percentage of your retirement funds. No one seems immune and everyone should appreciate and respect those fighting hard to support their families and survive the downturn. Chances are that if a neighbor recognizes you behind the counter at Target Stores, he or she will be praising you on your ability to do what you have to do, regardless of what someone else may think. The well-adjusted person who takes such a job knows that anyone who may criticize him or her for doing this is really the one with the problem. If the shoe were on the other foot, what might THEY be willing to do?

There are other issues confronting struggling unemployed people when it comes to considering “transitional” work. If I accept a lesser job, when will I have time to seek regular employment? Should I be taking this time to retrain or advance my career through continuing education? What will I tell an interviewer in my professional area I am doing, if I am presently working in a retail job, for example? Will he or she think that my career is headed in the wrong direction?

These are all valid questions and ones that we all may have to deal with in times like these. Fortunately, each has a reasonable answer that is acceptable to most and uniquely “right” for you, the individual. Everyone listens to the news and knows that our economy is causing tough times for many. Everyone also knows that these downturns are cyclical and they all have a beginning and an end. Reasonable people know that in times like these, we all have to do what must do to ride out the storm. Furthermore, intelligent business people are interested in understanding our solutions to the challenges we face and most will view transitional employment for what it really is – the job you take between the career jobs you are best qualified for. Or, the interim job between the great job you may have lost and the great one you eventually will get.

They will be interested in learning, from all of this, whether you are the pampered “prima donna” or someone willing to jump in and get his or her hands dirty doing what needs to be done. Remember, your approach to any challenge is a predictor of your future success on the job. Would you hire the guy who told you he decided to stay home and sponge money off his relatives while waiting out the recession or the guy who took a part time job to help pay the bills?

There is no shame in heroism. If you look around you and seek to protect your family and your possessions from harm, YOU ARE A HERO!!! If you are prepared to clean horse stables or empty dumpsters to put food on the table for your kids, there is no one more admirable than you. If anyone criticizes you for doing these things, you can be sure that the quality people you know are booing him and giving you a standing ovation!

Labels: underemployed, unemployed

Most of my business days begin with a toasted chocolate chip bagel smeared with reduced fat cream cheese, enjoyed with a steaming cup of dark roast coffee. My morning ritual is repeated, daily, sitting on the leather sofa facing a glowing fireplace at the local Panera Bread Bakery, just moments from my front door. Ah, yes…life is good -- those 45 minutes each morning.

Over the years, I have become part of a small cadre of men who also start their weekdays at the same Panera location. We have all become rather close and enjoy each other’s company. Ours is a mixed group. These are men of varying ages, ethnicities and professions; differing political and socials views; and representing a wide range of personal likes and dislikes. It all makes for some interesting discussions at 8 o'clock in the morning as we employ a daily newspaper for our meeting agenda.

Each morning we discuss everything from world affairs to those other sort of “affairs” involving one or two of the couples seated in nearby booths. Almost nothing is off limits for our coffee table discussions including plenty of “off” humor. Being so candid with one another has allowed our little, informal men’s club to evolve into a more comfortable atmosphere for openly frank discussions about ourselves and whatever we are presently dealing with. It’s very gratifying how our friendships have developed over a daily cup of coffee and sweetened by male fraternity – not that we wouldn’t welcome some female membership in our informal breakfast “boy’s club.”

In any case, as I was leaving the restaurant the other day one of the fellows called me over to his table to share some not so good news. Bob (not his real name) is a pleasant 53-year-old Asian-American man, who often spoke of his successful OEM manufacturing business based in the area. He was very proud of his company and his accomplishments within his specialized industry. The business afforded Bob and his young family a beautiful home and a very nice lifestyle within an affluent neighboring town.

Bob told me he recently filed for bankruptcy and was losing his home by the end of the year. Bank of America, he said, jacked up the interest rate on his business loans to 23%, which, coupled with an 80% drop in OEM sales, crashed and burned his operation. Apparently, during his business slide, his mortgage payments were victimized and his house became a casualty of his economic meltdown. He has already rented an old farmhouse in Central New Jersey and plans to relocate his family to Arizona , where the cost of living is less. He was going there to start all over, but to also “simplify his life.” In everything he said, those were the three words that resonated most with me.

So, what kind of insight can a recruiter glean from this tragic, but not so uncommon (anymore) personal episode, to share with other men and women in their 40s or 50s who have also lost a business or a job – or may be about to – in this freefalling economy? Bob’s situation gives us a look at the “bottom” – that place we most fear falling to. The “bottom” is the motivator of fear and etiology of stress and that which comes with it. We all fear what we cannot see and believe we can never accept. But, we also remember that many bad situations we face in life do not rebound until we have hit “rock bottom.”

There is comfort in knowing where the “bottom” is, because we know we can go no lower and have survived the fall. Better times or – at least, different times – lie ahead.

When Bob lost his business and then his home it was surely amongst his saddest days. To him, it represented great loss and even personal failure. But, he later came to realize that it also represented opportunity. Bob and his family have been released from the daily stress of maintaining a lifestyle that demands levels of revenue and profit that his business could no longer deliver in the present economy. Surely, he could cry about it which will not change the outcome. Or, he can derive strength from the situation realizing that while this battle is lost, he lives to fight another day. He may never die wealthy, but he may eventually die happier. Bob gets a “do-over,” doing what he may enjoy in a new career; moving to a nicer and more affordable part of the country; and engaging himself in a richer family, community and spiritual life.

Rather than spending time on Willie Loman-isms that put into words what many older and even some younger workers are going through in their struggles to survive this recession, it is more important to take into account that the worst that can happen to many of us may not be so bad as we fear. And, it might actually be something good. We all know survivors of the Great Depression and other downturns that have taken place since then. Just as we will, too, they eventually moved on and had better days. No matter what happens this time, we know from past experiences of others that we will eventually look back on these days and remember them as difficult, but temporary. By then, we will have gone onto whatever comes next in our lives. Maybe some guy you meet on vacation selling fishing gear beside some peaceful lake in the Pacific Northwest was once a stressed-out investment banker on Wall Street. If you were to ask that fellow when he was happiest in his life and I bet he will answer, “right now.”

Few of us like change. What is happening in the present economy is nothing more than change taking place. The great book of history is about to turn yet another page. The people in Abe Lincoln’s day didn’t dress like George Washington’s contemporaries. Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt shared a surname, but lived apart in different worlds. Our greatest presidents each presided over different Americas . Those Americas were created through change dictated by national and world conditions. We tend to remember the presidents during those times and know very little about the people who had to adjust to the times – good and bad. But, they DID adjust as they went about their lives. Just as we, too, will adjust to our own changing times.

So, let us each be free of our fears and look to Bob, who hit bottom and sent word up to us that everything will be OK and that he is anxious to get on with the next phase of his life, which promises to be simpler and richer in ways that he could never have imagined.

Labels: economy, job search, layoffs, older, Outplacement, unemployed

Since the talent pool grows during a recession, now's the time to look for new workers when it will be easier to train them during a period of slower growth. This way the company will have a seasoned, well-trained workforce when the economy turns around.

We have all seen the gloomy forecasts. We have read that the US is predicted to suffer its worst recession in decades, seen the implosions on Wall Street; we’ve heard predictions that unemployment will reach as high as 10 percent by the end of 2009. But, is the unemployment forecast being partly fueled by organizations that are perhaps wrongly viewing downsizing their work-force as a first rather than last resort?

It is easy in such turbulent times to lose sight of the old but true maxim that “people are crucial to business success.” It is after all, people who can find ways to help a business survive the recession and plan ways to optimize market share when the economic recovery eventually arrives. Smart business owners recognize that a recession is often the very best time to hire and train new employees, since some of their competitors and others may be releasing many of their better employees into the job market.

So you say (potentially with an eyeroll) – “Great advice, Marc, but business is down and there is a definite need to cut costs.” Since employment is one of the largest operating expenditures for most companies, if not THE largest, why would a company not take the budget axe to that particular line item? Obviously, many companies would agree and that’s why unemployment always increases -- often drastically -- during a recession. But, in the worst of times there are always more people employed than unemployed - even during the Great Depression of 1929. This indicates that the majority of employers DO try to hang on to most of their employees when things get tough. But, how can they do this and survive these downturns?

There are many things employers can consider doing to save money and jobs when business cycles head south. It all comes down to being creative and committed to avoiding layoffs. Here are three tactics a company can employ to make it through hard times without having to lay off their better employees and while continuing to hire and develop more of the “best and brightest” for future growth.

• Share Jobs and Skills – It could be a project manager, your HR specialist, Marketing/PR or IT staff, but offering staff to other local employers might avoid the cost and disruption of redundancy and may also lead to more collaborative forms of working arrangements with other businesses, in the longer term.

• Travel Smarter – Reducing business and employee costs by offering alternative work arrangements, such as occasional home-based working, mandatory furloughs and reduced work hours, is a smart way for an employer to help its employees save money or add valuable personal time while at the same time reducing business office costs and saving employees money otherwise spent on travel, lunch and wardrobe purchase and dry cleaning costs. Every little bit helps them – and you.

• Improve Efficiency and Performance – “Smarter working” also means improving company and individual performance and applying more sustainable working practices. Many organizations can achieve the savings needed to survive the recession by measuring and improving current performance output, through innovative processes, effective use of office technology and by setting goals and rewarding staff based on performance output basis rather than longevity. Establishing performance-based pay arrangements is often more easily accomplished with new employees than the existing ones.

These are only a few suggestions that can offer corporate hiring and retention budgets some breathing room. Such creative measures may, at least, delay any immediate layoff and/or hiring freeze implementation plans, which can actually harm overall company productivity and morale among surviving employees. This is in addition to postponing the attainment of any possible competitive advantages that ambitious and aggressive organizations may avail themselves by continuing to hire and develop additional contributors to the bottom line.

Think about it. I mean - REALLY think hard when deciding whether it is best to survive a recession by simply cutting your staff instead of boldly bucking the national trends and hiring more and better employees for your company's future. At the same time, be creative and dedicated to looking elsewhere within your business for the savings you need AND the additional revenues you seek.

Labels: Recession-Proofing Your Hiring

Labels: Recession-Proofing Your Hiring

Create an Empire of Empowered Employees

“Work occupies a large part of each worker’s day, is one’s main source of social standing, helps to define who a person is and affects one’s health both physically and mentally.” - Tom Smith, a Survey Director at the National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago

By Marc D. Le Vine

With our nation mired in recession and the national unemployment rate headed toward 10%, it may sound a bit odd bringing up the topic of employee job satisfaction at most businesses, including vitamin retailers. Some employers may remark that these days their employees should be happy just having a job. That would be an unfortunate and shortsighted response from an owner or manager, who—especially in the latter case—may still have the same desires and goals as the employees they currently manage.

There is So Much More to Employee Satisfaction than Just Collecting a Paycheck

According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, all humans have a hierarchy of needs. There are five levels of need that run from most basic to more complex. On the most basic level, we all need oxygen, food and water to survive. Then, we have the need for safety and security, which translates into avoidance of harm and protection from the elements. All human beings also need to be loved, to receive affection, and to feel as though they belong. As our needs become somewhat more complex, we all acknowledge striving for a higher level of self-respect and to be the receipt of respect from others. Finally, at the highest level, every one of us seeks to attain self-actualization, which sees us reaching our fullest potential in most endeavors, including within our careers.

Despite what some employers may believe, one’s weekly paycheck will satisfy only the most basic of needs. It may allow us to purchase food, water and shelter, but does little to develop what’s inside of us and make us whole. Like many elixirs we use to treat ailments, the paycheck may only address the symptoms of career dissatisfaction, causing otherwise potentially strong achievers to question their purpose and ask, “Is there nothing more for feeling good and improving thyself?”

For some employers, recognition of tough economic times may form a convenient excuse to avoid upsetting the status quo in their workplaces. On some level, they may believe that it takes greater effort and more expensive resources than they are willing to provide to satisfy their employees. In a society like ours, which is based on the belief that “planned obsolescence” is a good thing, many employers have helped to lead the passionate employee to near extinction by reinforcing a related notion that all employees are replaceable and turnover is a fact of life. In a recent Harris Interactive survey conducted in 2005, it was determined that only 20 percent of all workers felt very passionate about their jobs, 33 percent believed they have reached a dead end in their career and 21 percent were eager to change careers. This does not bode well for the notion that happy, well adjusted and passionate employees perform their jobs at a much higher level, which ultimately results in greater customer satisfaction and increased business for the company.

Employers Shouldn’t Take Their Employee’s Needs for Granted.

Sadly, rather than working smarter to create a more stimulating and nurturing workplace environment, many small business owners and corporate executives may consciously or unconsciously ignore the more sophisticated self-esteem building and self-actualization needs of their employees. To pre-plan for what they may expect to be higher turnover, they simplify jobs to create an almost seamless transition from one employee to the next. Removing the “meat” from a job only creates employee boredom and discourages intellectual growth. This actually creates both voluntary and involuntary terminations.

Here are some job enhancements employers may wish to consider:

• Empower employees to own their jobs, encouraging them to think critically, express themselves creatively and develop greater feelings of self worth.

• Add substance and richness to daily work assignments. Jobs need to stimulate and satisfy employee interest. This allows for enhanced intellectual grow and business savvy, thereby contributing more to the health and wealth of your organization.

• Promote from within. Often the best employees are home grown. When you elevate our own employees, you not only improve company morale, but also insure you’re your business policies, procedures and culture remain intact and will be easily passed along by promoted managers to new employees.

• Encourage better two-way employee communications. Employees do much better when they understand the company’s “big picture” and their bosses are more highly respected when they listen to their needs and respond to them. Managers should encourage an “open door policy” for all employees. Owners and senior managers should also hold regular update meetings and informal “rap sessions” with staff at which they share updates on business conditions, short and long term goals and elicit “work smarter” ideas and general feedback on working conditions.

• Recognize employee accomplishments. People like to be appreciated for their dedication, loyalty and results. Often a pat on the back, dinner with the boss and/or an employee of the month award means much more to some than a pay raise. Employers should never fear praising employees for a job well done. Doing so, doesn’t necessarily mean they will be asked for a raise. In fact, often praised employees may be more inclined to stay at their jobs longer, feeling especially valued by their organizations.

Job Security, Health Care Coverage and Professional Development Satisfy Most

A manager at a major chain of vitamin retailers in Freehold, NJ, spoke highly of her organization’s career development potential. The manager, who preferred anonymity for this article, explained that she joined the chain having had her own independent natural foods store for several years. Though as a small business owner she valued her employees, she said she was unable to provide them with the many benefits enjoyed by national chain employees.

Her current counter employees are referred to as “Health Enthusiasts” by her organization, and are, for the most part, passionate about what they do. The manager estimates that approximately 80 percent take health supplements and are philosophically driven to educating the public in alternative products geared to improve health and wellbeing. She admits that the pay is rather low for retail employees, but they enjoy taking advantage of the company’s excellent internal education programs that add to their product knowledge. Though there are many “health enthusiasts” who work part time while studying for non-health related careers in college or to earn extra household income, many strive to enter the company’s management training program and prepare to manage their own location, one day. This is clearly reflective of what studies and surveys tell us is consistent with employee satisfaction in the retail vitamin industry as well as in other career pursuits.

In fact, the previously mentioned Harris Interactive Survey findings are consistent with what our chain store manager pointed out regarding worker satisfaction in the retail environment. According to the survey, job security, health care coverage and professional development are valued above additional compensation in the retail sector. Apparently, passionate employees are motivated to seek knowledge and experience in lieu of higher pay, believing that higher income will eventually follow the value they create for themselves with the help and guidance of their employer.
In another study conducted by the General Social Survey (GSS) at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, involving 27,000 Americans, the top career choice leading to the highest level of job satisfaction and happiness was Clergy (87 percent of respondents chose that particular career as the most gratifying job they considered). Obviously, one must be passionate about religion and mankind to become a member of the clergy and there is certainly a high degree of self-esteem and self-actualization that comes with that role. This view is consistent with the quote atop this article and attributed to the director of the GSS, who released the statistical findings.

Conclusions: What Every Employer and Employee Should Realize

Job satisfaction is an important benefit in our lives. Most of us spend more time at work than at home and with our families. When we accept a job we recognize that there will be good days and not so good days. We also understand that we are responsible and accountable to our employer, but we are even more responsible and accountable to the customers, who pay for and deserve the highest quality service we can provide. No less than we expect as customers, ourselves.
Perhaps, we are most responsible and accountable to ourselves in our careers and jobs. We tend to excel at the things we enjoy and for which we have a higher aptitude. Employers can and should create a fostering environment in which passionate employees can thrive; they can only set the tone in which motivation and job satisfaction can develop. Ultimately, it is the employees who choose to be motivated and/or potentially satisfied by that which is inherent in their job, their career and at the company for which they work.

Labels: employee satisfaction

THE NEWS TRANSCRIPT a greater media publication

Freehold Borough panel planning April 8 job fair

Residents of all towns will be welcome to attend event at elementary school
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer

The Freehold Borough Neighborhood Pride Committee is continuing its efforts to bring the community together on many levels.

One such effort will be the Freehold Borough Community Job Fair to be hosted by the Neighborhood Pride Committee and held at the Park Avenue Elementary School, Park Avenue, on April 8.

Freehold Borough Councilman Marc Le Vine, who is the Borough Council's liaison to the committee, said the event will be open to residents of all towns.

"Obviously, the reason for having this event is to help those who are struggling and out of work survive the current economic downturn," Le Vine said.

"We all know that jobs help people pay their bills and their taxes, and allow them to spend money at local businesses. It's important to show we care when our residents become unemployed and we appreciate that they keep our towns financially and socially viable," he said.

Le Vine said the members of the Neighborhood Pride Committee want residents to know people are there to offer help when times are tough.

He said employers who attend the job fair will be charged a fee to participate. Le Vine said it is important for employers to know that a significant number of job candidates will attend the event.

"When it comes to a job fair, big is better," the councilman said.

Organizations that hire, place or train people for good jobs are on the list to be invited to attend the job fair, according to Le Vine.

He said he has been working with the Jersey Shore Association of Human Resources and the Monmouth Ocean Development Council. He said he has contacted Monmouth County Freeholder Director Barbara McMorrow, who will work with the Monmouth County Economic Development and Tourism unit to identify companies which may be interested in participating in the job fair.

The New Jersey Department of Labor will also be contacted, Le Vine said, adding that he is hoping to attract 50 companies and at least 500 job-seekers to the job fair.

Also scheduled is a pre-event seminar to be presented by Larry Jacobs, the director of career services at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Le Vine said Jacobs will give the seminar on April 7 at Borough Hall for people who are planning to attend the job fair on April 8 in order to help them get the most out of the event.

Jacobs will discuss how to interview, how to approach employers and how to present a resume, among other topics.

Le Vine said organizers are trying to attract a variety of employers.

"We want a very diverse job fair where there will be something for everyone, from unskilled labor to hopefully senior management," the councilman said.

Le Vine has planned and coordinated job fairs over the years outside of government and through his business and professional affiliations. He said his experience and his contacts should be helpful in planning the April 8 event in Freehold Borough. He said it is a tough economy for employers right now.

"Many (companies) are not currently hiring. We will invite as many as we can and hope they will take part. We will try our best to plan for a helpful event," he said.

Neighborhood Pride Committee member Sheryl Mott will help to coordinate the effort. She said there is a real need for this type of job fair in challenging economic times.

"I think it's good that the committee is doing this and we all hope that many people will come out and take advantage of the job fair," Mott said.

Labels: Job Fair - News Transcript

For Immediate Release Contact: Marc LeVine
732-866-4077



Freehold Borough Announces Unique Initiative:
First Annual Job Fair Brings Opportunities to Residents

FREEHOLD BOROUGH, NJ – Debbie Keelen and Anthony DiFlumeri, Co-Chairs of the new Freehold Borough Neighborhood Pride Committee, announced a unique community initiative – the Freehold Borough Job Fair, which will take place on Wednesday, April 8 from 10:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. at the Freehold Intermediate School gymnasium, Park Avenue (Route 33).

Dozens of companies seeking employees will have booths; jobs are available in many fields. Attendance is free.

Keelen says, “The measure of community spirit and strength is demonstrated when the community leaders take initiative in economically challenging times to find ways of presenting opportunities for their residents to remain solvent and productive. Our job fair is a shining example of why Freehold Borough is one of the most dynamic towns in Monmouth County.”

Marc D. Le Vine, Freehold Borough Council liaison to the Neighborhood Pride Committee, and CEO of Integrity Consulting Associates, a human resources firm with clients nationwide, says, “The committee, through conversations with many residents, discerned an immediate need. Through my vast network of human resources managers and other business leaders, I am able to bring representatives of a variety of companies that have quality job openings of all types and all levels. As a committee, we are devoted to empowering our residents and our job fair is a solid step in restoring optimism, and helping those who are unemployed to find new opportunities for happiness, financial stability and independence.”

Le Vine counsels attendees to bring resumes and an optimistic attitude. “First impressions are lasting impressions,” he says.

For more information about the Community Job Fair, contact (732)866-4077 or by email at stffgpr2003@yahoo.com.

Employers -- what do you consider to be your greatest business expense? What do you consider to be your greatest business asset?

Hopefully, you recognize that the answer is the same for both questions. Your employees. If you agree, then why might you be considering laying some of them off as the economy falls into recession?

Obviously, if business is slowing you feel the need to shave some expenses. When you look at your payroll, you immediately figure you can reduce head-count and save tens or hundreds of thousands in overhead expenses. We've all been programmed to consider layoffs as soon as the economy sours. After all, payroll seems like the easiest place to find significant savings in any one place. If you want to save the company $400,000, you can immediately lay off four employees earning $100,000 each and receive a bonus by also saving on the tax burden and benefit costs. We already knew that employees are a company's greatest business expense. So, in a bad economy, employees unfortunately also become a company's greatest opportunity for curbing expenses through layoffs.

I've just shown you a glass half empty. When you consider that employees are also your company's greatest business asset, the same glass begins to overflow and suggests that fear take a back seat to creativity. Perhaps, there are other options to save your employees and save your company money, all at the same time. Maybe it takes a little more effort to locate significant savings in five or six other areas of your operations, rather than just pull some payroll sheets and figure out how many lives must be adversely affected to roughly approximate the cost-cutting you plan to achieve.

Look around you. I mean this literally and figuratively. Those lights above your head. Are they energy efficient and state of the art? How about the heating, cooling and overall energy usage at your firm? If you have multiple, large facilities the savings can be significant. Consider the case of Nestles, which has been able to save millions of dollars by creating power from the steam recycled from their freeze-dried coffee manufacturing process. Sure, they needed to initially invest in the technology and, granted the savings were not immediate, but the effort's payback is long term and is especially appreciated when the company is doing well. I am sure there are many similar examples where companies have extracted significant savings by examining and modifying their technologies and production processes. No doubt, employees’ jobs have been saved as a result of conservation and working smarter.

There are countless other places to look for savings that may reduce the need to layoff employees. These include saving money by negotiating better rates and prices for everything the company needs from paper clips to utilities and from cleaning services to insurance. How about filing a tax appeal on your facility? Often, when the economy tanks, so do property values. Here we can be talking about millions in savings and it just makes sense to investigate something like this.

And, who would be looking for savings and coming up with better ways to do their jobs? Of course, your most valued asset should be pressed into action. Employees should be your strategic business partners -- they are stakeholders. After all, their jobs may be on the line when business conditions worsen. It is really not fair to keep them away from a process that may help them keep their jobs. In addition, they may be in the best of all positions to help the company. Your accountant only crunches numbers, but your employees are in the trenches and better understand their departments’ operations, technology, purchasing, customer expectations and especially employee morale - the driving force behind company success. Layoffs destroy morale and even worse, annihilate productivity. It should be avoided at all costs.

It would take more time than we have here to list every area in which companies can save money, avoiding the possibility of layoffs. There are so many different industries with completely different sets of expenses and places to save that only you and your more experienced employees can uncover them. Perhaps, it makes more sense to discuss why all this is worth the effort, since layoffs have become a standard and almost reflexive way of cost cutting for the past several years. It's easy to forget that there is a human side when it comes to letting your valued employees go.

Remember when Joe in accounting came into the office several weekends to complete those year-end financial reports by deadline? Do you realize he was unable to attend his son's little league playoff games and also had to cancel a visit to see Aunt Bertha just before she passed away at the nursing home?

Then, there is Sally in sales. Your company was losing clients to your biggest competitor until Sally sprung into action and proved to the erstwhile clients that price is no substitute for quality and service – and got many of them back. In so doing, her monumental effort involved weeks of nationwide travel and working with the marketing department to upgrade collateral. She was away from home for days at a time, had to impose on her husband and her parents to take care of her kids, missing out on special family events.

The message? Your employees sacrifice a lot for you and your company. Many are dedicated and wouldn't think of doing anything that would not benefit your company. They are your team and are there for you when you need them most. Yes, you say they are paid to do all this. But, that is just the stock answer you may have been given by others to use to justify laying them off. The truth is, most of them work very hard for many more reasons than just pay. The reality is that they are with you, at work, for most of their daytime hours and in many cases spend more time with you than with their families. They take a sense of pride and ownership in their jobs. They want to do well, because what they do for a living often defines them, in part.

When the economy is sick, it is sick for your business and it is sick for your employees and their families. Your business and its employees can, collectively, pull together and solve its problems. It has a better chance of surviving when everyone is being called upon to contribute. Problem is, because layoffs are typically planned in secret, the employees are taken by surprise and are rarely given the opportunity to save their own jobs. This is too bad for great employees like Joe and Sally, who made sacrifices and gave their all only to be cast adrift into the economic maelstrom with a couple of weeks severance and some empty corrugated boxes to collect and place their entire work-lives in. And, what do you think their attitudes and work ethic will be like at their next job as a result of the layoff? It may not seem to matter right now, but all employers drink from the same well and are sure to sip the bitterness and inherit the emotional damage that others have caused by letting their own employees go. After all, you hire people and they bring baggage with them. The larger the pool of cynical people employers create, the greater impact all this negativity has on the overall state of the work ethic in the United States.

Employers contemplating a layoff should take the time to consider other ways to save money by involving their employees in the effort; show greater understanding of and appreciation for the loyalty and sacrifices many employees make to help the company succeed; and also realize that the easiest way of doing things - in this case saving money - is not always the most humane and prudent. All of our actions have consequences and what we do today may come back to hurt us tomorrow. We all have a responsibility to do the right thing. What that is is not always as obvious as it may appear to be. Give layoffs more thought.

Labels: employers, layoffs, Outplacement