London, July 21, 2009: “Hiring temporary staff is not like ordering screws”- HR policies in times of crisis
In a survey by the Institute for Employment and Employability, 2000 companies were asked about HR policy measures they are deploying to tackle the economic crisis and what measures they are planning for the coming months. The survey unearthed unexpected results: The most important management task was not cutting costs by reducing headcount (67.3%), but instead “communication and behavior” (95.9%), followed by “leadership” (95.3%) and “improving qualifications” (94.8%). Very few companies are making use of the subsidies available for staff to gain qualifications during periods of short-time working. Also, companies are increasingly cancelling temporary staff contracts. The author of the study, Professor Rump, advises to build mixed teams of internal and external staff to both gain the necessary flexibility and to be able to draw on the qualifications and expertise needed. As a prerequisite she argues that companies need to change their mindset so that temporary staff is no longer “ordered the same way as screws via the purchasing department.” – Shepard Fox Communications summarized the study findings, wrote the corresponding press release and distributed it internationally.
Study Findings (English), Press Release (English), Press Release (German)