Payback will be a b****!

I'm sure you are all too aware of how some employers (and vendors and stores and everyone!) have been using the recession as an excuse to underpay, underemploy, and generally mistreat their employees. I am by no means saying this is the norm (or even true of my current employer) but sadly, it's not that unusual either.

While some companies actually need to be "thrifty" right now in order to survive this downturn, others are just taking advantage of a chance to save themselves a few bucks. We all know the bottom line is what it is but in the long run, investing in your people is smart. Treating your employees with honesty and care gives you a much higher rate of retention - if you treat them well while you can, they may better understand a pay cut or similar when you need it.

This is probably my favorite statistic from the article: Your youngest employees, who bring new ideas and skills to the workplace, are knocking on your competitor's door. Of the employees surveyed, 71% between the ages of 18 and 29 are likely to look for new jobs once the upturn begins. Ahem!

The good news is that the downturn really can't last forever the way it is now. Eventually, things will tick back up or they will change. But people won't forget how you treated them when everyone was down on their luck.

Click here to read the post on About.com