Staff need to come first

We live in a topsy turvy world. One minute we’re fretting over skills shortages and the scarcity of talent – the next we’re worried about being over-staffed and the need to shed jobs. Currently, there’s a tendency to think that, with the economic downturn, the two concerns will now cancel each other out. However, life isn’t as neat as the statistics suggest. If a company lacked the right personnel before this crisis, the chances are that it won’t be in a position to mop up any spare talent that may now be on the jobs market. However, what does a business need more than anything during tough times? Apart from a healthy order book, its best bet is loyal, professional and innovative-thinking employees. The past decade has been taken up making massive efficiency gains through implementing better processes and investing in technology. Almost everyone now has a computer on their desk and sophisticated systems offer unprecedented levels of real-time information. With the present economic environment meaning that training budgets are shrinking, organisations are going to have to be increasingly creative with what funds they have. Kevin Young explores.