Recession, Cost-Cutting, and Sacrifice

During these times of recession, every company is undergoing a
significant cost-cutting session. Most of the companies are allotting
this cost-cutting job to the Human Resource department since they are
free and there are no new recruitments to be made in these turbulent
times. Once the official cost-cutting person is appointed, the
concerned person focuses on different aspects of cost cutting. These
aspects range from cutting power bills to cutting redundant jobs.
Since the cost cutting follows a layered approach, this article tries
to analyze the different cost cutting measures the company adopts in
different rounds of cost cutting so that the employers can stay afloat
in these difficult times no matter what.

Normally, in the first round of cost cutting, the cost-cutter targets
power bills, paper waste, printing, diesel, etc, kind of stuff. During
these times, the employees can breathe easy because this activity
indicates that the company is still not thinking of laying off
employees to save their profits. Once all the fringe cost-cutting
measures are done and the company reaches its targeted figures, then
the employees can think that their jobs are safe until for the next
few days.

If the recession continues and the company is unable to withstand the
worst of the recession effects, then the second round cost cutting
starts. This time, the cost cutter may target employees who have been
recently recruited and have been in training for the last few months.
These people have yet to contribute to the profits of the company but
due to the unbearable recession pressure, these people will be laid
off. The company then again checks whether it has reached its target
figures or not; once it reaches the required figures, then it gives
rest to the cost cutter.

Now, the company employs only experienced people who have been with
the company for the past few years and who contributed a lot for its
present survival. Meanwhile, the company scrutinizes the performance
of different layers of employees and filters them based on their
performance. Now, again the company hits by recession. Immediately,
the third round of cost-cutting starts; this time, the company
executes its pre-prepared list and lays off employees based on their
performance.

Finally, a stage reaches where the company depends on the experts, who
have been considered as the cream of the company workforce. Now, these
people along with the directors, who are reluctant to cut their fat
salaries instead of laying off employees, run the company on the
day-to-day basis. Unfortunately, the recession strikes again and the
company decides to lay off the cream layer also. Only the directors
remain. So far, the directors are taking their fat salaries
irrespective of the crisis and employee layoffs. The directors who
care nobody except himself or herself have forgotten the sacrifices
made by the employees all these years who made the company reach its
zenith.

In summary, people who are in the top ranks of the company ladder are
neither responding nor willing to make sacrifices in these turbulent
times of recession to save those employees who had worked for the
company day-in and day-out. The employees have been making sacrifices
both in good and old times. The only thing that remained throughout is
the sacrifice of the employees irrespective of whether there is a
recession or not.

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