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Economy > Employee Engagement > Employment Branding

Investing in Employees When There Isn’t Much to Invest

Earlier this month, U.S. News released this article listing 10 cuts employers are expected to make in 2009:

  1. Layoffs
  2. Hiring freezes
  3. Higher health costs
  4. Travel restrictions
  5. Training cuts
  6. Canceled parties
  7. Salary freezes
  8. Reduced merit increases
  9. Pension freezes
  10. Cut 401(k) matches

Yes, seeing this list is disappointing, given what we know about the negative impact of hiring freezes and layoffs.  But as we see more and more companies take such measures in the face of economic challenges, believing they’ve exhausted every other alternative, it’s hardly surprising to see that more companies are expected follow suit. 

I won’t pretend to understand how employers make these types of decisions, but I can say this with absolute certainty:  You still need to invest in your employees. Because if anything’s going to help your business survive this recession, it’s your employees. 

Even if that investment is as simple as helping them manage their finances to taking the time to openly discuss with them your current challenges – and looking at opportunities that lie ahead, you might be surprised how far simply showing your employees that you’re concerned about their needs can go toward improving morale.

Mary Lorenz

About Mary Lorenz

Mary is a copywriter for CareerBuilder, specializing in B2B marketing and corporate recruiting best practices and social media. In addition to creating copy for corporate advertising and marketing campaigns, she researches and writes about employee attraction, engagement and retention. Whenever possible, she makes references to pop culture. Sometimes, those references are even relevant. A New Orleans native, Mary now lives in Chicago, right down the street from the best sushi place in the city. It's awesome.
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I think employers often forget that there's a lot more to motivating and investing in employees than just monetary things. Like you said, communication is a great first step. Even if you can't give out bonuses in an R&R program, publicly celebrating the great things people do is a great way to get them excited and keep them motivated. Nice article.

- Chris

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I think employers often forget that there's a lot more to motivating and investing in employees than just monetary things. Like you said, communication is a great first step. Even if you can't give out bonuses in an R&R program, publicly celebrating the great things people do is a great way to get them excited and keep them motivated. Nice article.

- Chris

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