Don't Let the Economy Get You Down

Michael Wood - April 21, 2009 So, here we are, in the midst of perhaps the worst recession in U.S. history. And although originally fueled by bad lending practices in the housing market, the new fuel is the fear, uncertainty and doubt engulfing consumers. Yes, the great U.S. consumption engine that the world relies on is coming to an abrupt halt just as unemployment numbers are soaring.

For those who have jobs, there lingers a nagging fear that those jobs are not secure, as fellow workers and friends get laid off, retirement accounts get ravaged and cost controls eclipse opportunities for growth.  It isn’t surprising that issues related to declining morale and productivity has become commonplace in the workplace.  IT is not immune to this situation, and finding ways to stabilize and improve morale within the IT ranks has become increasingly difficult.

Leaders need to understand that in recessionary times, it is anything but business as usual.  They need to introduce counter-measures to break the cycle of fear that emotionally and physically grips employees.  The conventional wisdom points to frequent and honest communication and increased employee recognition programs as ways to improve morale.  Consider the following from “Impact of the Recession on Employee Morale” from www.managingconflict.com:

“Instead of deliberately and consistently …

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