Reskilling labour for long term

Several organisations today are grappling with issues brought on by the recent world-wide economic downturn.

Certain geographies are gradually getting hit while some have been hit significantly, more than what was expected. In these trying times, leaders need to be strong and clear in their thought process. More importantly, they need to be honest and candid while recalibrating their business, human resources, information technology and client strategies.

An organisation not only needs a strong business plan - more importantly, it needs a stronger implementation team. When the going was good, companies were recruiting as bottom lines were achieved. Revenue objectives were moving targets and always getting met. Attrition did not feature in the top five management concerns list as people with average capabilities were always available and were meeting company objectives at manageable costs. As a result, markets did not demand revolutionists to achieve targets.

However, with the current economic situation where the reduction of operational cost is a major determinant of successfully achieving company objectives, the reduction in the cost of service delivery in terms of time is a qualitative KPI.

With organisations taking a relook at their business processes to optimise internal operations and enhance delivery mechanisms, it is worthwhile to look at their existing talent pool.

Organisations today have a golden opportunity to initiate several employee oriented activities aligning them to business objectives and delivery requirements. These include rearranging and relocating talent pools, skilling or reskilling their key resources, providing time for acclimatisation, and concentrating their energies on change management activities.

When organisational restructuring or manpower rationalisation is managed poorly, remaining employees fear for their own job security. This often results in low motivation levels and poor performance. The problem can be especially acute for senior team members who are anxious to make their mark in the organisation and who want to register that they have provided an important cost cutting measure. They are pressured into acting on incomplete or inaccurate information. Recalibrating a business plan and a strategy isn't always about reducing investment, employee rationalisation and squeezing incremental margins.

Leaders should give themselves time to conduct a talent pool audit to fully understand what their staff is capable of doing and what kind of training is required to meet company objectives in the immediate future.

The best leaders successfully manage confusions to maintain focus on clear goals at times of upheaval. They also assign clear roles and define accountability metrics, enable employees to understand their jobs and empower them to get them done.

This is the most opportune time for organisations to focus on core business areas, realign organisational structures and keep employee rationalisation at a minimum. It is also a time to enhance the quality of the talent pool by reskilling them or providing change management support. Such initiatives benefit the organisation in more than one way. They also lay the foundation for better times tomorrow.

- Sanjiv Anand is the Managing Director and Kedar Apte is Engagement Manager at Cedar Management Consulting International.