Survive the Recession

1. Consultant-news.com give 100 (yes a hundred) tips for consultants to survive.
2. Computer Weekly has seven IT  tips for surviving the recession.
3. ProtoCall One advises call centres to invest in IT to survive the recession
4. BigHospitality says restaurants should get rent holidays (amongst other tips to survive)
5. Julie Meyer says (on City A.M.) ‘All entrepreneurs are in search of “The Big Idea”, but entrepreneurship itself is the big idea for the 21st Century’
6. A Times letter-writer says that the UK needs its own Chapter 11 for recession
7. Bryan Finn and others contribute to the Personnel Today HR survival guide

…in the US according to Jobfox and reported in Australia by The Daily.  Sales and customer-related roles feature highly, but some backrooom jobs such as business analysis and database administration are moving down the list.

The listing is compiled by the recruitment agency Jobfox from persistent advertising in the previous three months.  I’m not sure if it applies to the UK.  My colleagues at Business Economics are looking now at how the recruitment market itself is being affected by the downturn and I’ll report on that when they’re done.

With a nod to Iain Dale’s Dozens, here are some recent survival tips:

1. AccountacyAge blogger Dennis Keeling asks if your company will survive without an on-line business model.
2. Carol Lewis in The Times has five ways to survive the recession (for consumers, but one tip is to start a business)
3. Designer to the stars, Kelly Hoppen tells Real Business she’ll survive the recession
4. Information Overload also tells us to start a new business. And to increase out spend on marketing.
5. Get Inspired Design.com says that SEO (search engine optimisation is the answer)
6. Julie Meyer says focused tech firms will survive any downturn according to siliconrepublic.com. Hmm.
7. Prof Tom Cannon tells FourFourTwo how the recession will affect football.

Accoring to the Design Council, design is a powerful tool in a downturn. Well, they would say that.  In fact they say:

Companies big and small are rising to the challenge of hard times through a conscious investment in design. Their decision to innovate – to rethink and regenerate their products, operations and image – can be taken by a company of any size and in any area. Design and brand strategy can help elevate a firm or its products from the ordinary, the tired or the predictable, demonstrating that the business is alive, dynamic and responsive. And in a declining market that just might make the difference between growth and collapse.

 I think there is some useful information here.  Every company should look carefully at what makes its customers want to part with money and do everything to make sure it’s spent with you.

As well as reviewing business anti-recession tips, I’ll include some personal examples too.  UK financial site fool.co.uk gives advice on booking your summer holiday this year.  Personally, I try never to pay the ‘full price’ for anything, so one of my favourite site’s is Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert.com which includes great tips for saving on travel costs.

UK newspaper, The Mirror is also full of suggestions for surviving the recession.  It lists 25 of them - most of which are sensible, but is anyone going to change their life and follow these? (eg “Car: Use it only when you have to”.  Yes sir, Mirror sir)

A handy set of tips to help the HR department to survive the recession reported on the Personnel Today blog (originally from the consultants Watson Wyatt).

There’s a good (but maybe obvious?) stress on keeping people focused and motivated.  I would add that it’s more crucial than ever for the HR department to engage with other parts of the organisation to ensure that all elements of strategy are readdresed in light of the downturn. (but maybe that’s obvious too).