What the tough economic climate has taught us is that smaller organisations are more nimble, lean and more likely to communicate with their employees. Just by the virtue of size they're able to quickly realign goals, reassess priorties and therefore respond to the economic climate. Even in good times, it is imperative for them to stay cost competeitive as the 'luxury' of excess affects the bottom line; so they don't need to, in most cases, cut people or costs in tough times. And communication enables them to handle crisis in creative ways.

One company I know of is keeping its best people motivated by having staff work on community projects while the work is quiet. The staff do not necessarily know that the work is voluntary, but they do know that they are making a difference to others. The company says it doesn't want to lose its key staff and is prepared to make the commitment to them. Of course not all organisations have the ability to do this, but this is a small company that is trying to think differently. Do you know of any?

As the saying goes - Communication is vital to one's personal and professional growth. With more and more insecurity creeping into the minds of employees, it has become extremely imperative to have an open communication between the employer and the employee. Employees certainly want to know what's going on within the organisation, especially during the present economic condition, and the decisions taken by the management. Do you agree?

According to a latest news report which I read on ibnlive.com, a Pakistan minister is accusing India of the attacks on Sri Lanka's cricket team. According to him, the incident took place in reaction to 26/11. Now, this is absolutely ridiculous. What the hell are they trying to prove here?

I think India should give a tough fight and most of all, Pakistan needs to be isolated from the whole world!

Guys, do you agree? 

 

Last month, when the US Airways flight 1549 from New York's LaGuardia airport to Charlotte, North Carolina crash-landed into the Hudson River, passengers on board couldn’t stop praising the actions and courage of pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger for his sharp presence of mind.

Passengers offered "kudos" to Sullenberger for a landing that minimised damage to the aircraft and its 155 passengers and crew.

And now we have Captain Sukhinder Singh Kohli, the commander of IC-866, who has become the latest hero of Indian aviation, saving 170 lives with his timely action. Indeed, 30 seconds of deft manoeuvring converted a potential tragedy into a close shave.

Bravo captain!

 

 

A two-and-a-half inch signal cable wire caused one of the biggest railway disruptions and brought Mumbai city to a halt for over six hours on Wednesday morning. And look what our heroes have done! They managed to catch the victim who stole the wire and presented him in court where he was fined Rs 2000, and after failing to pay, he was sent to jail for 20 days. Now, is that the only punishment levied upon him to cause such a major havoc and disrupt the lives of millions of office-goers? Aren't there any stringent laws for such menacing acts?

First of all, my heartiest congratulations to Parvathy Omanakuttan. The lanky beauty had done us proud. So what if she's been crowned the first runner-up. I think she's very beautiful and extremely talented. Kudos Parvathy. We are proud of you. Another feather in India's cap.

There is no doubt that with the economy slowing down and companies looking to reduce cost, it’s a challenging time for the HR folks. With companies looking to reduce cost across the board in the current recessionary market, reduction in HR spending too is high on the agenda of organisations. The question is – How are they coping with it?