Peculiarities of personnel management in times of crisis

Abstract

In the context of the increasing frequency and complexity of socio-economic crises, traditional approaches and methods of personnel management often prove to be incompatible with the reality of continuous and often interconnected organizational changes caused by crises. The main problem is the lack of proactive anti-crisis practices, which leads to a number of crisis response measures - layoffs, salary reductions and reductions in training and development programs - which undermine the very foundation of the organization - human capital, without which the recovery of the enterprise after the crisis becomes a difficult task. The purpose of the article is to investigate the features of personnel management in crisis conditions and to propose appropriate strategies and mechanisms for anti-crisis personnel management of the enterprise. The research methods include general scientific methods of abstraction, analysis and synthesis. In order to achieve the research objectives, the dialectical method of scientific cognition was applied in the work. The abstract-logical method of theoretical and factual generalizations was used to formulate conclusions and proposals. The information base of the study was scientific works of Ukrainian scientists on the topic under consideration, the results of the authors' own research, etc. The results of the study revealed differences in HR management strategies and policies, which depend on: the type of activity of the enterprise, its size (small, medium or large) and age, the form of business organization and its industry affiliation, the type, scale, depth and duration of the approaching or already existing crisis. A number of specific anti-crisis strategies and HR management policies have been developed, which differ in the context of the goals and priority areas of the enterprise's activity in the conditions of a crisis organization to increase the efficiency of work and consolidate the personnel. Five main areas of work with personnel in crisis situations have been identified. Preventive mechanisms for anti-crisis personnel management by adhering to a number of principles have been proposed. Conclusions. In times of crisis, even resilient enterprises often cannot withstand crisis phenomena due to the low level of their crisis preparedness, which can be explained by the lack of comprehensive anti-crisis programs and systematic planning processes in all organizational units. All anti-crisis measures should be planned based on the results of a systematic and comprehensive diagnosis of the personnel situation, and the successful implementation of anti-crisis measures in personnel management requires the transfer of greater authority and responsibility from the strategic partner to the personnel management department.