Recession Fatigue

"What positive effects has the recession had on your job? Seventy-seven percent of workers said that the recession has had at least one positive effect on their jobs. Top effects:

New projects-53%

More responsibility-52%

More challenging work-52%

More interactions with management-44%"

Note:Multiple responses allowed
Source:Accountemps poll of 457 workers 18 and older as shown in USA TODAY

So it takes a recession to get managers to interact more with their employees####?!

Recession Fatigue

If one of your employees asks a question during the group meetings that leadership can't answer, make sure that someone follows up with that employee with an answer after the meeting. This builds trust among your employees. If an employee seems distressed during the meeting, spend some time with that employee after the meeting. Maybe he/she just needs some individual attention to talk about the future of your organization.

Recession Fatigue

If you normally do not have regularly scheduled group meetings with your employees, start them now. Strongly encourage your CEO/President/General Manager/Whatever his or her title is to talk openly and honestly with your employees during these meetings. Tell them "the good, the bad, and the ugly" about your sales volume, current backlog of orders, the general state of your particular industry, etc. Respect your employees enough to know that they can successfully handle good news as well as bad news.

Recession Fatigue

There has never been a better time to "spend more time with the troops." Leaders and human resource professionals need to walk away from their laptops, turn off their cell phones, BlackBerries and other mobile devices and talk with their employees. What is more important-Facebook, Twitter, and ESPN or the mental health of your employees? Talk to some human beings face-to-face for a change.

Recession Fatigue

"Recession fatigue" is a term being used by the media these days. It certainly describes how a lot of us feel. How do we combat it? How do we "rest up"? Stay tuned for some ideas.....