Over 60% of UK employers are concerned about losing key staff come the recovery, according to a survey by technical and engineering recruiter CBSbutler.

David Leyshon, managing director of CBSbutler, says these results should act as an ‘early warning system’ for employers. “Arguably, many organisations may feel that their employees should just be grateful to have a job, but even in a recession, employee engagement is crucial for long term retention strategies.”

Leyshon advises:

• Conduct regular employee satisfaction surveys to identify gaps and areas for improvement.
• Keep people abreast of developments: ensure that there is frequent, honest and transparent communication with employees and stakeholders.
• Continue to develop your culture: It’s important to stay focused on your culture, people and values as in a downturn; this is the area most likely to get compromised.
• Support team leaders: ensure they understand their strengths and development areas.
• Focus: maintain your workforce’s focus on short-term delivery and effective execution.

Co-operate and collaborate: managers should work with their HR teams, who need to proactively own and partner with team leaders/managers to help them keep staff motivated and morale high.