Due to the current economic crisis, it’s no secret that businesses are strapping on their seatbelts quite tightly before riding into 2009. All across the board, companies are losing valuable assets and anyone in human resources will tell you the most valuable asset of all is their people. Still, some businesses are hesitant to speak out about the challenges they are facing and what they anticipate will be their greatest threats in the coming year.

As long as we are all living in the same economic climate we ought to help each other by sharing information about how the recession has impacted our business and specifically our efforts to recruit and retain talented workers. We should offer insight into the sort of issues we can expect to face in 2009 and offer ways to prevent or cope with those issues. The idea is to not let our peers weather the storm alone.

Profiles International recently sent out a survey to business leaders across the state of Texas to assess the impact that the economic downturn has had on future decisions, hiring and retaining practices. The goal is to come up with solutions to make the most of our people and the human resources programs already in place. But while we wait for the results to come in by mid-January, let’s talk about it here – let’s discuss everywhere and put a plan of action together.

How has the economy impacted your recruiting? Training? Hiring?

What are you not looking forward to in 2009? How will you cope with that?