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Ashwin Shirali is the regional director, human resources, Accor Hotels, India

One can turn the current economic situation around to advantage; HR professionals should use these times as a recruitment bonanza opportunity, advises Ashwin Shirali

The experience of the recent recession clearly indicates that when times were good, organisations lived as though there were no tomorrow; employees were mindlessly hired en masse for compensation packages well above their true worth, and with reckless disregard for sustainable and long term alignment to business levels, organisation needs, culture, and values.

The only rationale was to meet the immediate requirements of humongous growth. When the economic crisis arrived, companies panicked and did what came easiest – savagely laid-off and retrenched staff, and froze hiring with the same short-term blinkered vision that characterised the boom phase.

The onset of a recession cannot possibly be stopped, however, its adverse effects may definitely be minimised by proactive HR practices such as hiring the right fit profiles in the right numbers and at the right costs, keeping short-term and long-term requirements and realistic business levels in mind. Even assuming this were not to be done, organisations can still treat recessions as recruitment bonanzas; smart companies use them to prepare for post recessionary growth.

Unfortunately, most organisations are ill equipped to take advantage of this golden opportunity despite being inundated with highly qualified profiles at every level. This is because hiring during a recession has its own set of three unique challenges, and organisations need to factor this in whilst planning their recruitment and staffing needs.

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COMMENT Comment on this article

Firstly, fundamental beliefs require to be revisited to cater to the new challenges with a fine balance required between efficiency, cost effectiveness, value-for-money, long-term approach, and a short-term ‘quick fix solution’. Secondly, employers are able to do only ‘focussed hiring’ for essential positions with fewer people doing the same or even more work, as before.

At the same time, the recession has forced companies to be more competitive than ever, and so employers have to be extremely customer-oriented. In other words, all new hires have to be star players who have to be able to hit the ground running, and get up to speed immediately, and who will also be long term players and not out to make just a quick buck or find a parking slot.

And lastly, the right hire during the recession is not just the candidate who is the most qualified, but the one who is also most likely to be engaged and committed.