There are so many surveys these days that it becomes increasingly difficult to know which ones to take notice of. However, when surveys repeatedly tell us the same thing, it is surely time to listen.

One of the most consistent messages from surveys of those who employ graduates is that whilst their technical skills are often excellent, there is a distinct lack of soft skills training. Soft skills or communication skills should of course be supplied by colleges for two very good reasons. Firstly, the employers want it, and secondly it is surely essential to help candidates through the interviewing process.

Some critics point to the fact that university degrees have been devalued. This year it is expected that 300,000 students will graduate. There are estimated to be 30,000 graduate entry positions available (assuming the recession does not lower that figure even further this year).

The point that employers make again and again is the lack of transferable skills. An arts degree from a traditional university seems to be valued far above many very specialised degrees that the new universities (formerly polytechnics and colleges) offer.

For example, there are many courses in performing arts but only certain accredited drama schools are taken seriously when casting directors are looking at CVs.

An increasing number of HR professionals are expecting to layoff workers this year. Indeed, many redundancy programmes are already underway, although they are euphemistically referred to as restructuring. Whilst it is easy to criticise companies who start cutting jobs as soon as there is a downturn, executives have difficult decisions to make and the question they ask themselves can be as basic as “How do we survive?”

When a company is struggling to balance its books, redundancy does seem like the obvious answer. After all, it is not just an individual’s salary that is saved, but all the associated costs such as National Insurance, pensions and other benefits.

However, all options need to be carefully considered. A redundancy programme can make the business seem vulnerable and this needs to be carefully handled in terms of public relations. Perhaps the two most obvious areas where this is essential are that customers may start to wonder if existing contracts will be fulfilled, and the local community may see things in a very bad light.

Of course, redundancies will affect staff morale. Those employees who escape the chop may feel guilty and spend an unhealthy amount of time wondering which employees will be next for redundancy. This can be exacerbated as they are asked to consider their personal development in terms of retraining to take on extra duties. The top performers who you want to retain will inevitably start looking in the job market.

It’s all very well stressing how difficult a process restructuring and redundancy are, but what are the alternatives?

There are certainly a number of things which can be done, which will at the very least reduce some of the pressure. First of all, a recruitment freeze can be instigated. This may mean that some positions are left open. Equally, it may be necessary to distribute the duties of a job amongst a number of staff.

A pay freeze will be seen negatively, but staff will accept it if applies to all people in the organisation and it means they are safe from unemployment.

When the spectre of redundancy is in the air, it is a good time to encourage employees to come up with their ideas on cost cutting or how to increase productivity.

Encourage people to take unpaid leave. It may be that they would just like the odd day for a long weekend, but it all helps in saving money. Because of the way the PAYE system works, employees may find that their salary is not reduced by as much as they expect.

Whatever you do, consult the staff. For example, would they rather all work a 30 hour week instead of some of them being made redundant?
Some staff may even be encouraged to take long term sabbaticals particularly if it is tied to their personal development.

The credit crunch or recession which everybody, in particular the press, talks about endlessly is surely bad news. The latest estimates suggest that we will not see an upturn in the economy until the first quarter of 2010.

So, it’s all bad news, right? Not necessarily, but you do need to take a positive attitude and make a conscious effort to look on the bright side. One thing you should quickly realise is that many very talented people are being forced into the job market. This is because of all the restructuring going on everywhere, caused by buyouts, acquisitions and downsizing.

However, in order to take advantage of this situation, you must ensure that your recruiting processes and procedures are operating at their best. In particular, if you are laying people off at present, you should expect to be recruiting again once the economy improves.

After all, it may be that candidates of a much higher calibre are available. Perhaps they may not have considered your company before as they had the pick of businesses with a higher profile. You will still need to convince them that you are everything they could want in an employer. In other words, you have to sell yourself to them and also assure them that you can fulfil their personal development needs.