According to online assessment provider Questionmark, the five crucial questions are:

• Which staff can be relied upon? When businesses face an uncertain environment, it is vital that employers identify which staff have the skills to help steer a way through a crisis.
• What skills are needed to cope with change? Every crisis is an opportunity to innovate. What new skills must be embraced to plot a path to prosperity? Do they exist in the current workforce?
• Which staff must be retained? When uncertainty is looming, it can be the best staff that choose to jump ship, which can be destabilising for the entire workforce. By identifying which team members must be kept, employers can invest in their development.
• Which staff have transferable skills? There will be team members that employers do not want to lose, even if their role is surplus to requirements. Which employees have transferable skills that could enable them to thrive in an alternative position?

Lars Pedersen, CEO of Questionmark, asked: “Which team members will be essential to maintaining productivity? What skills are needed to adapt and where do they exist across teams and functions? What skills are needed to adapt and where do they exist across teams and functions?”

And a statement from Questionmark said: “To hold on to the best people and get the most out of everyone, employers will need to find new ways to motivate [their workforces] and help them develop.”

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