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Why We’re Looking Up in A Down Economy

You’ve been busy making birthday gifts out of canned goods containers and constructing a stellar (ah, unused) napkin dress for your next work party, but despite your attempts to be scrappy and creative during this recession we’re experiencing, you’re finding it tough to gear yourself or your employees up on a daily basis. And honestly, you’re having a difficult time seeing the good in it all. What to do?

The great aspect of these down-on-our-luck times is that we may, in fact, not be as down on our luck as it appears. Yes, layoffs are everywhere we look. Yes, keeping morale up is a struggle. Yes, money is tight. We know this, but the underlying current running beneath all of the negativity and sad news is a fighting and entrepreneurial spirit that keeps us fighting through – and moving on. CNN had a great feature yesterday about 9 people who are staying optimistic and finding success in the midst of this recession.

This is not to say that any of this is easy, or that we should all be clapping our hands and celebrating or performing a Toni Basil-style routine of joy (though I’m not not condoning that). But if we look a bit closer, good things are sprouting beneath the surface. Many people are starting their own businesses; others are doing the things they haven’t made time for in the past. Many are getting out of their comfort zones and are finally free of jobs they hated but were too scared to leave.

What positives can you take from our current situation – and how can you pass that positivity on to your employees who need it so much? We recently asked all of you what you’re doing to lift your employees’ morale and promote positivity in the workplace. You had some wonderful ideas! I thought I’d share a few, but be sure to read the full list here.

A few highlights from our awesome commenters:

  • In light of all the talk regarding Economic Stimulus, our bank put together our own “Stimulus Package” for our employees. We feel it’s important to keep humor and a good outlook intact :)
  • We cut raises for the time being but will give generous gift cards through out the year to each employee. We have also cut some of our positions from full time to part time, same pay. It seems to be working out great!
  • Our company recently started a “Lunch In” program where we teamed up with a local deli to have ‘economically friendly’ lunches provided. We wanted to offer something to our employee’s that is affordable, convenient as well as delicious!
  • As with many companies, we have had to reevaluate our benefits package and revise some of our benefits in an effort to save money across the company. While some benefits were reduced we were also able to negotiate and add some benefits (like critical illness insurance, identity theft assistance, travel protection, Healthy Rewards program and a Will Preparation Program).
  • When my Customer Service Mgr. meet daily with our customer service Reps. the 1st question they ask is tell me something positive that happened in your day the results have been great. Revenue has risen 6% over previous month!
  • Dan R’s Automotive stimulus package is to turn off the media , turn on the POSITIVE! We hold monthly potlucks where we do a theme like St. Patrick’s Day — bring in something that starts with a G for green.

So…what are you doing?

Amy Chulik

About Amy Chulik

Originally hailing from Ohio, Amy is a content strategist on the Marketing and Communications Team who has been with both CareerBuilder and the city of Chicago for more than seven years. She writes on a range of recruitment topics on The Hiring Site, striving to bring a dose of clarity and humor to sometimes complicated issues around employee attraction, engagement and retention. In addition, she writes and edits content for the CareerBuilder website as well as CareerBuilder e-books, white papers, emails, marketing campaigns, and anything else that's thrown her way. She is also the voice of @cbforemployers on Twitter. When she's not working, Amy spends as much time as possible reading, writing short stories, eating Nutella out of the jar, waiting for CTA buses and trains, going to see her favorite bands live, dreaming up new adventures, and spending time with people who inspire and challenge her.
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Amy Chulik

Thanks for the comments, all.

Sadistic Manager: I think a catered lunch for staff is a great idea. And agreed -- everyone loves food :) That's pretty awesome that you and others in management chipped in to make that happen. And seems that the staff reactions made it all worth it...

Michael -- You put that really well. Agreed.

Annie -- thanks for sharing and for the link.

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Annie Betteridge

We're not just looking up, You can actually have a "Recession-Proof" income with a little elbow grease and the right training. I have had a few friends lose their jobs, my best friend and her husband almost lost their home to foreclosure, and we helped them out because our income hadn't drooped at all. I know a lot of people see this as "pie-in-the-sky", but I think it's only fair to show this side of the coin, the alternative to the traditional 9 to 5 that has little to no security. See what I mean: Christian Home Business

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Michael Long

The great thing about a time like this is how close people can become. It's like having a flat tire in the middle of nowhere with a friend - it may be a difficult situation, but it can serve as a bonding experience and an opportunity to innovate. We all like to remember the good times, but, isn't it true that we have equally fond memories of the hard times that we made it through successfully? Adversity can serve as an amazing opportunity to discover new ideas!

Just the other day, I was speaking with a great HR contact about the push for new ideas in her company. In a borderline secret manner, she expressed her concern for things going back to normal because of the potential for people to revert back to their "everything is status quo" groove. We grow when we are challenged.

More power to the companies, department heads and employees who are creating positive environments through the use of humor, creativity and innovation!

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Sadistic Manager

I'm sorry I missed this. I recently chipped in part of my tax refund with some of my management team to do up a catered lunch for staff. Budget won't allow for rewards like that, but they've proven to be one of the most effective motivators.

Comments we got in return? All along the lines of "you've shown us that even if the budget isn't great, you still care about the people who punch that clock every day."

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Amy Chulik

Thanks for the comments, all.

Sadistic Manager: I think a catered lunch for staff is a great idea. And agreed -- everyone loves food :) That's pretty awesome that you and others in management chipped in to make that happen. And seems that the staff reactions made it all worth it...

Michael -- You put that really well. Agreed.

Annie -- thanks for sharing and for the link.

share
  • spam
  • offensive
  • disagree
  • off topic
 Like
Annie Betteridge

We're not just looking up, You can actually have a "Recession-Proof" income with a little elbow grease and the right training. I have had a few friends lose their jobs, my best friend and her husband almost lost their home to foreclosure, and we helped them out because our income hadn't drooped at all. I know a lot of people see this as "pie-in-the-sky", but I think it's only fair to show this side of the coin, the alternative to the traditional 9 to 5 that has little to no security. See what I mean: Christian Home Business

share
  • spam
  • offensive
  • disagree
  • off topic
 Like
Michael Long

The great thing about a time like this is how close people can become. It's like having a flat tire in the middle of nowhere with a friend - it may be a difficult situation, but it can serve as a bonding experience and an opportunity to innovate. We all like to remember the good times, but, isn't it true that we have equally fond memories of the hard times that we made it through successfully? Adversity can serve as an amazing opportunity to discover new ideas!

Just the other day, I was speaking with a great HR contact about the push for new ideas in her company. In a borderline secret manner, she expressed her concern for things going back to normal because of the potential for people to revert back to their "everything is status quo" groove. We grow when we are challenged.

More power to the companies, department heads and employees who are creating positive environments through the use of humor, creativity and innovation!

share
  • spam
  • offensive
  • disagree
  • off topic
 Like
Sadistic Manager

I'm sorry I missed this. I recently chipped in part of my tax refund with some of my management team to do up a catered lunch for staff. Budget won't allow for rewards like that, but they've proven to be one of the most effective motivators.

Comments we got in return? All along the lines of "you've shown us that even if the budget isn't great, you still care about the people who punch that clock every day."

share
  • spam
  • offensive
  • disagree
  • off topic
 Like

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