Recession's Over - What Now? (Part I)

I could write another book on what to do now that the recession is fading, but let's quickly consider the benefits of this change in the economy from the perspective of an employer this week. Next week we will consider how an employee should approach 2010.

THE EMPLOYER PERSPECTIVE

Hiring great people has been much easier and less expensive during the recession. Now the ceasefire in the talent wars is over. In brief, what can you do as an employer to have the best possible people working for you?

1. Retain your current people - Engage people with retention interviews; meet to clarify their expectations and yours; work with them to update their career paths; and make certain they know why their work is meaningful.

2. Increase productivity - Set clear measurable goals for all employees; give them an annual performance review; mentor them monthly to develop new skills; and compensate them more based on performance so they can increase their earnings along with your company's growth.

3. Keep networking for new talent - Clearly define your networking program to attract new people; train your people to network; consider rewarding them for new hires; and follow your hiring process to confirm the true capabilities of candidates.

Do not assume your people will stay with you. Reach out to them and engage them to comprehend the value of a future with your organization. This economy may be turning, but there is a significant chance the recovery will be slow and may even turn downward again. Help them understand how staying with you will be professionally and personally fulfilling... and a shrewd move. This will also motivate them to help you hire additional top performers.

Watch for next week's thoughts on three simple steps for employees to make the most of 2010.

Be an intentional leader.

Meeting Ideas

Recession's Over - Now What? (Part I) is about making certain you keep your best people and attract more top performers as the economy strengthens.

Here are some ideas for discussion during your next staff meeting to encourage your people to expand your team:

We are very happy to have you as employees. As we enter this new year we may be hiring again so we have some questions to ask you.

1. What do you like most about working here?

2. What story can you tell that best communicates why you like working here (employee-focused or customer-focused)?

3. When you were hired, you had certain expectations of us as your employer. How are we meeting or exceeding those expectations? (It's up to you whether you want to ask where you can do better.)

4. What do you believe are the best products or services we offer and why? How can we improve them?

5. We expect to be hiring (name positions) next year. We need your help to identify great candidates. Explain how you will find at least one candidate per job opening to help us with our hiring?