Lower staff costs article. Ways to optimize staff costs. Personnel Search Costs

The need to optimize staff costs arises in a number of cases:

• - at the request of shareholders, increase the value of the organization;
• - during the restructuring of the organization (mergers - acquisitions);
• - upon change of ownership (the appearance of a new investor);
• - with changes in the strategic guidelines of the organization (rapid growth, access to new market segments, etc.);
• - if necessary, a general reduction in production costs.

There are traditional and modern optimization methods.

staff costs.

Traditional methodsthey are mainly used for the general reduction of production costs in the case of attracting personnel on the basis of a labor contract or a civil contract (contract). The most likely options for the behavior of organizations in a situation of economic downturn are as follows:

• - temporary cessation of activity;
• - providing everyone with leave without pay;
• - reduction of production volumes with a reduction in the number and (or) staff;
• - reduction of wages established by employees;
• - temporary cessation of payment of wages (delayed payment).

Choosing this or that option, it is necessary to understand that it is almost impossible to quickly solve the task - to minimize the costs associated with remuneration.

The implementation of these behaviors is associated either with the termination of labor contracts, or with changes to their conditions, so it is important to correctly assess the costs associated with the implementation of these measures to optimize staff costs.

The implementation of measures aimed at reducing payments related to wages can only be achieved after a legally specified time (not earlier than two months). In addition, since the reduction in personnel costs affects the interests of the employee, the organization should be prepared to defend its position in court, incurring additional costs. Therefore, the economic feasibility of the option to reduce staff costs seems to be important.

The collective agreements in force in organizations may contain clauses providing additional benefits for employees in case of their dismissal, for example, a larger severance pay, conditions for retraining and retraining of those dismissed to reduce the number and (or) staff of employees at the expense of the organization. In this case, it is necessary to comply with the specified clauses of the contract.

It should be borne in mind that if the collective agreement contains conditions under which the benefits and compensations provided to employees in the event of their dismissal at the initiative of the organization are less than those provided for by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, then these conditions may be challenged by the employee in court.

Temporary cessation of activity.If the organization’s financial difficulties are caused, for example, by a delay in settlements with consumers and are, according to management estimates, temporary, short-term in nature, then the organization is forced to reduce the amount of work for a certain, relatively short period, as a result of which a number of employees are not involved in this period of time (plain). It is also assumed that during the downtime the employee is at the workplace. The costs of the organization during the downtime (Article 157 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation) are the sum of at least 2/3 of the average employee wage and the unified social tax calculated on the amount of payment for unworked time, including forced downtime.

Thus, the temporary suspension of the organization or its units (simple) allows you to reduce labor costs during a certain period by no more than w.

Providing everyone with a vacation without pay.If the organization’s activities are suspended for a long period, it is possible that some employees will try to find another job for this period (part-time). Obviously, an employee who has got a temporary job in another organization does not have the opportunity to be at his workplace (as the idle mode assumes). Therefore, he appeals to the management with a request to provide him with leave without pay. In this case, the payment of compensation for a forced simple employee ceases (Article 128 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). Thus, the choice of this option allows you to completely stop paying salaries, without increasing your debt to employees and to the budget and extra-budgetary funds.

Reduction of production volumes with a reduction in the number and (or) staffdescribed in detail in paragraph 2.3. Usually, a collective agreement determines the procedure for the release of personnel in the event of a decrease in the business activity of an organization. If possible, the employee is given severance pay, a letter of recommendation, assistance is provided in employment, retraining, etc.

Reducing wages established by employees.In the context of the financial crisis, organizations may be faced with the need not only to reduce the number of employees, but also to reduce the wages of workers who remain in their jobs. Change in wages may be due to:

• - reduction of tariff rates (salaries);
• - making changes to the bonus system;
• - reduction or cancellation of benefits, surcharges, allowances.

Since this decision of the management significantly changes the terms of the labor contract, it can be challenged, including in court, which will certainly affect the organization’s costs when choosing this option.

An indirect way to reduce wages is to introduce part-time work in organizations.

Temporary cessation of payroll (delayed payment).In the case when the organization does not have funds for the payment of wages to employees, wages are calculated but not paid (the organization’s debt to employees is formed). At the same time, the procedure for paying insurance premiums to extra-budgetary funds does not change and penalties are accrued for non-timely paid contributions.

Modern methods of optimizing staff costsbased on the redistribution of functions for managing the functioning of personnel using various options for attracting temporary staff. These methods include:

• - staffleasing   (staff leasing);
• - temporary staffing   (selection of temporary staff);
• - outstaffing   (removal of staff per staff);
• - outsourcing   (use of external services).

Staffleasing - legal relations that arise when a recruiting agency concludes an employment contract with an employee on its own behalf, and then sends it to work in some organization for a relatively long period of time - from three months to several years. This is mainly practiced in cases where the services of a qualified specialist are required with a certain regularity.

Temporary staffing is used for short-term projects or jobs that last from one day to two to three months. As a rule, this involves hiring administrative and service personnel for the duration of exhibitions, conferences, marketing research, PR events, as well as for the duration of illness or vacation of regular employees.

Outstaffing (outstaffing) is used in cases where the recruiting agency (contractor) does not select employees, but draws up the existing staff of the client organization (client) into its staff. At the same time, workers continue to work in the same place and perform their functions. The number and qualification of the required personnel is determined by the customer, who does not have an employment relationship with the personnel provided, but who can motivate each employee involved. The contractor, therefore, is the employer of the staff, and the customer can attract staff to perform various functions. For the duration of its work, the provided personnel becomes part of the customer’s team, but the entire personnel workflow for the provided personnel is carried out by the contractor.

The use of outstaffing becomes justified if there are:

restrictions on permissible staffing levels.   This case is often found in large holding structures that strictly plan and control the number of subsidiaries;

the need to maintain gross margin while the management organization posed the task of reducing headcount.This case is a variation of the previous one. Reducing the number of employees may be a strategic objective of the organization, aimed at reducing the cost of social guarantees;

the need for high-risk projects.   There may be projects for the implementation of which it is necessary to hire a diverse staff, but in case of failure, this staff must either be fired or provided with other work. If the project is unsuccessful, additional costs arise associated with the release of personnel, leading to increased losses. At the same time, the project’s mobility is lost, for example, if it is necessary to move the project to another region;

the need to increase business mobility.   This is sometimes necessary when working in fast-saturated markets in different territories, when during the life cycle of a product it is required to ensure maximum coverage of various territorial markets without moving all personnel involved in the sale of products;

the need to save overhead on the maintenance of a large personnel service and part of the accounting department engaged in payroll.   Upon receipt of personnel through a contractor, savings in overhead are possible. This savings is due to a decrease in the number of personnel services and accounting organizations, excluding the cost of special software;

the need to implement the concept of "brain concentration" in the organization.   The essence of the concept is as follows: only key employees are in the organization’s staff - the “golden fund”, the intelligence of the organization. Workers and support staff are involved in outstaffing. By implementing this concept, it is possible to provide a reasonable differentiation of social guarantees depending on the real value of the employee for the organization.

With outstaffing, the employer receives the following benefits:

• - the employer does not conclude an employment contract with the employee and, therefore, does not enter into an employment relationship with him;
• - there are no risks of labor disputes regarding personnel involved through outstaffing;
• - the contractor is responsible for resolving all issues related to the implementation of the requirements of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation;
• - the employer becomes mobile in matters of attracting and reducing staff; under certain conditions, the mobility lag may not exceed several days;
• - the employer does not need to conduct personnel workflow for personnel involved through outstaffing, therefore, it does not require an increase in the number of personnel services of the organization;
• - the stability of production activity is increased, since due to outstaffing it is possible to transfer part of conditionally fixed costs into the category of conditionally variable;
• - it becomes possible to extend the trial period for any necessary period;
• - it becomes possible to build multi-stage motivational programs, using, among other things, the intangible incentive to transfer an employee to the main staff of the organization;
• - you can achieve significant cost savings to ensure social guarantees.

The most attractive is the joint use of personnel outsourcing and outstaffing; with this “symbiosis”, one can expect savings under the heading “Overhead costs”.

Outsourcing. In this situation, the organization transfers some of its functions to an external organization (unit of another organization). The customer buys a service from the organization (contractor), not the labor of specific workers. Moreover, the function is transferred completely to the contracting organization, and the staff of the contracting organization does not have personnel engaged in the implementation of this function. The cost of the service is determined by the contract between the customer and the contractor. The contractor himself decides on the number of personnel who will implement the transferred function. The customer does not have an employment relationship with the contractor’s personnel and cannot motivate him.

As a rule, outsourcing is transferred to the work necessary to maintain the life support of the organization, but which are not core to it: computer network maintenance, logistics, marketing research or cleaning of premises. The benefits of outsourcing are:

• - concentration on the main activity;
• - rationalization of production operations;
• - gaining access to professional knowledge;
• - diversification of risks;
• - the lack of the need for continuous implementation of new technologies on their own;
• - improving the quality of products (services);
• - release of human resources;
• - optimization of cash flow (cash-flow);
• - increased control over the business;
• - business ability to change (on demand).

However, there are also disadvantages of switching to outsourcing, which include:

• - Concerns about the reliability of the service provider (bankruptcy, etc.);
• - loss of control over the production process;
• - potential reduction of own staff;
• - concentration on the product (process), and not on the consumer;
• - loss of the ability to grow their own qualified personnel;
• - negative attitude on the part of own staff.

In Western practice, it is customary to use a scheme to assess the feasibility of switching to outsourcing according to the criteria “strategically important / non-strategically important”, “competitive / non-competitive”, developed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and presented in Table. 5.1.

Table 5.1

Assessment of the feasibility of switching to outsourcing

Type of transaction	Strategically important	Non-strategic
Competitive Non-competitive	Leave as is Reorganize	? (Must be discussed) Outsourcing

However, the criteria for determining how strategically important the organization’s position in a particular type of operation is, are unique to each organization and are subjectively perceived by managers.

The “Reorganize” field allows you to outsource the operation in the short term, but in the long term it must be returned to the organization’s control.

Field "? (Must be discussed) ”provides many possible solutions: sale, expansion and provision of services to other organizations; expanding the profile and creating a strategic competitive advantage.

When performing non-strategic and non-competitive operations, PriceWaterhouseCoopers clearly recommends outsourcing them.

There are specific criteria for switching to outsourcing, used in Russian practice:

• - the inability to provide the required quality of products (services);
• - cost reduction;
• - the release of scarce equipment and highly qualified personnel;
• - the release of unique equipment on which standard products are manufactured;
• - improving the work of the supply department;
• - reduction of the range of purchased products through the purchase of items assembled in units.

The criteria for rejecting outsourcing are:

• - lack of reliable contractors;
• - potential monopoly by a possible contractor;
• - decrease in efficiency below the required level;
• - a significant increase in production time outside the organization, unacceptable to ensure the production process;
• - the cost of manufacturing within the organization is less than the bid price on the market.

If we talk about the differences between outsourcing and outstaffing, the main one is that when outsourcing, the customer pays for the performance of a certain function, and when outsourcing, the customer pays for the provided personnel with the necessary qualifications. Common to these forms of attracting personnel is the ability to reduce personnel costs without incurring losses associated with a decrease in labor productivity and product quality.

The financial director spoke at the board of directors and reported that the company had passed the growth stage and that a period of stabilization had begun. Profit is practically not growing, and personnel costs have recently continued to increase. The HR director confirmed this and explained why HR costs were rising: many new employees had to be recruited. As instead of leaving, and in the created units. The Board of Directors decided: the staff should not be expanded, staff recruitment and payroll expenses should be reduced.

These costs are perhaps the highest. Salary is the main item of staff costs. And the selection of employees is a process, although at first glance it is not the most expensive, it continues uninterrupted. It becomes especially intense when new units are created and they need to be urgently staffed. This also requires funds. It is no coincidence that it is these items of expenditure that, as a rule, reduce in the first place when it is necessary to save. What exactly and how to reduce?

Analyze how and how much the HR service spends on posting job advertisements

Look at what exactly the funds are spent on, what kind of return your division in particular and the company as a whole receive for each invested ruble. As a rule, the main channels that we use to post information are standard: print media, specialized Internet portals, the company's own website, television / radio, the so-called “on the fence” ads (posted on poles, parking lots, message boards). Usually, internal channels are also involved - word of mouth, intranet.

Check if these channels are being used efficiently and appropriately. After all, there are different categories of employees to look for. So, you need to use different channels to place job ads. And do not look for everyone through websites or recruitment agencies. For example, it is effective to use the Internet only when accountants, PC operators are required, that is, those whose professional activities are directly related to working on a PC (and, therefore, with the ability to access the Internet). And low-skilled employees for positions that do not require any experience and knowledge should be selected using other methods. It would seem that these are obvious things. But if you forget about them, you will allow unjustified expenses.

Example

The HR director of the sewing company, checking the work of his selection managers, found that even in order to find janitors (men or women 50-70 years old), as well as sellers, movers and drivers, ads are placed, as when searching for specialists - on job search websites. But this is unjustified for two reasons at once. First, these categories of workers, as a rule, do not use the Internet. Therefore, there are almost no resumes from candidates for vacancies. The second reason is that money is actually wasted. To reduce costs, the HR Director instructed his subordinates to change their work tactics and select the channels for distributing information about vacancies to the level of candidates. To search for janitors - to stick up announcements at public transport parking lots, entrances of residential buildings located near the office, on poles in crowded places in the area where the company is located. And when it comes to the need to select sellers, movers, drivers, cooks, place ads in the print media, since they are most often read and viewed to find work, these categories of citizens.

Track how and where the candidate learned about the vacancy

Make it the main rule for your subordinates involved in the selection of personnel. Let them collect and record information about where the candidate heard or read about the vacancy of your company. This is especially important if HR managers
  use more than two channels at the same time to post information about vacant posts.

Make a table in which recruitment managers will make appropriate notes. In the column on the left, list all vacancies that were closed by the personnel service, and on the top, all distribution channels of job information used by your subordinates. On the right at the end of the table there should be columns in which all information is reflected by the total (the sample table is shown below).

Oblige your subordinates who are talking with job seekers over the phone to be sure to ask the question: “How did you find out about our vacancy?” And immediately put each answer in the table. In the questionnaire that the candidates fill out, also include this question and ask your subordinates to make sure that the applicants do not forget to answer it.

If at the end of each month you receive job reports from HR managers, select specialists add a separate section to the report - information about the channels for posting job advertisements. This will be the very table that we talked about.

Table. Information about which channels were used during the month to search for candidates

Choose effective job posting channels

You will do this according to the very table that you have developed for HR managers. In it, they recorded where the candidates learned about each specific vacancy. Therefore, now you can summarize. Each line contains one vacancy. Watch how often this or that channel "worked", that is, it conveyed information to candidates. That channel, thanks to which the most candidates came, is considered the best. It reaches the target audience and is considered the most optimal for a particular vacancy. And the channel from which the minimum number of candidates or none at all learned about vacant positions in the company is considered useless. In fact, the money spent on posting information about vacancies wasted, and here we can talk about reducing costs. When a similar vacancy appears next month, we will know for sure that it makes no sense to use this channel.

In other words, by refusing to use ineffective channels to post information about vacancies, you will reduce the cost of selection, and the quality and term of selection will not deteriorate.

Check if financially beneficial offers from websites and print media are used.

You must admit that HR directors often dismiss offers of their selection managers or managers of websites and newspaper ads supervising the company to consider more advantageous offers. But we forget that offers can really be profitable, as newspapers and "work" sites work in a competitive environment, and therefore make efforts to save customers and get new ones. For this, so-called package offers are created. For example, the Internet portal provides the opportunity to pay “in bulk” (and at a lower price) a certain set of services for any period. The price at first glance may seem unacceptable to us. But let's compare how much the company spends in six months if it uses the usual services of a well-known Internet portal and if it agrees to its “package offer”.

Example

The company used the services of the Internet portal - placed vacancies and occasionally (in order to save) looked at the contact details of applicants. In total, 35 vacancies were posted at a price of 2,000 rubles, the total amount of costs - 70,000 rubles (2,000 rubles. 35 vacancies). The company looked through 120 resumes, for which it paid 18,000 rubles (120 resumes of 150 rubles for each view). Thus, the total amount of expenses for six months amounted to 88,000 rubles. Now let's calculate how much each new employee cost the company. A total of 1870 people were selected, therefore, 47 rubles were spent on attracting one (88,000 rubles: 1870 people). However, the same Internet portal was developed and for the same six months made an advantageous package offer - an unlimited tariff. It would be possible to post vacancies, gain access to resumes of applicants in unlimited quantities and for only 33,000 rubles. If the company took advantage of the package offer, then hiring one employee would cost her an average of only 18 rubles (33,000 rubles: 1870 people). In other words, it was possible to reduce the costs of finding and attracting staff by 2.6 times.

If we talk about posting job advertisements in specialized media, you can also find economical options. Having considered each option, first estimate the costs and select the most optimal one.

Example

The company needed to place information on seven open vacancies in a specialized newspaper: loader, accountant, economist, PC operator, storekeeper, lawyer, human resources inspector. The HR director asked the selection manager to find out which accommodation options exist and how much each of them will cost. It turned out there are three options. First: put each vacancy in a separate block (frame) 5.7 1.9 cm. One block costs 230 rubles. The cost of all blocks will be 1610 rubles (230 rubles. 7 blocks). The second option: put all seven vacancies in one block 8.7 10.7 cm. The cost of a block of seven vacancies is 1725 rubles. Third option: group vacancies by thematic blocks and place them in thematic sections. It turned out three blocks. In one of them there are vacancies of a storekeeper and a loader, the cost is 460 rubles. In the other - information about the vacancies of an economist, accountant, PC operator, for which the company will also pay 460 rubles. And the third block will cost the same price, which will include vacancies of a lawyer and human resources inspector. Consequently, for the placement of all vacancies in relation to thematic sections, you need to pay 1380 rubles (460 rubles. 3 blocks). The company took advantage of the latter option.

Use free info resources

The development of information technologies in the world in general and in Russia in particular gives us unique opportunities - to implement the most ingenious projects at the lowest possible costs, and sometimes even completely free! It is very effective, as a rule, to work with free (both for job seekers and job seekers) Internet portals that exist in each region.

Example

Lipetsk has a free online job search portal. It is called 48.ru. A similar portal in Saratov - 164.ru. These portals offer employers to post a certain number of vacancies for free (usually up to three). In addition, the portals provide free and unlimited access to the information base of applicants. This is a defective detailed resume. Nevertheless, the minimum information necessary to make up the idea of \u200b\u200ba person is there. Most importantly, the HR service can receive contact details of job seekers online immediately after posting a vacancy. And so for all three vacancies.

The regions have their own online news portals that are supported by local authorities. On these portals there is a heading “Work”. A certain number of vacancies can be placed in it for free, and employers are not limited in using the contacts of applicants. Recently, the portals www.slando.ru and www.avito.ru have become popular. You can post an unlimited number of vacancies there and search for contacts.

Use to recruit social network staff

Create a page of your company in popular social networks, for example, on Facebook, Vkontakte. The more interesting and attractive your page, the more potential candidates will be puzzled by the job search in your company. We will not dwell on how to properly design such a page. We only note that now there is a tendency to move away from broadband Internet to handheld mobile devices. Especially among the younger generation.

Try to minimize the negative consequences of optimizing payroll costs.

Reducing labor costs is an extreme step, which usually causes a wave of negative consequences. For example, reduction of staff, lower salaries of workers. Both that, and another can lead to the loss of qualified personnel. So, labor productivity and quality of work will suffer. Try to explain this to management. Emphasize that it is not worth significantly reducing payroll costs. Losses can be more massive than the savings. Offer, say, to freeze these costs and not allow their growth.

If you cannot avoid a noticeable reduction in payroll, think about outsourcing

Thanks to outsourcing, you will significantly reduce personnel costs without negative consequences for the company. First of all, outsourcing needs to be given work that does not require highly qualified personnel with special skills and knowledge. Namely: loading and unloading, work in warehouses, freight forwarding, packing / packing, cleaning the territory, warehouse and office premises, customer service at the box office, work in the sales area (merchandising). It can also be the services of junior staff (waiter, maid) and advertising campaigns (promoters, life-size puppets, extras). How profitable is outsourcing for companies, calculations show.

Example

The organization accepted the staff of the loader. His salary is 20,230 rubles. In addition, the company must accrue and pay contributions to the funds for this amount - pension, social insurance and compulsory medical insurance. The total amount of contributions is 30%. To this should be added contributions for insurance against accidents and occupational diseases at a rate of 0.2%. Total - 30.2%. In monetary terms, this will be 6109 rubles (20,230 rubles. 30.2%). Consequently, the employer's costs will amount to 26,339 rubles (20,230 rubles. + 6,109 rubles.). In the hands of the employee will receive 17,600 rubles (20,230 rubles. - 13% of personal income tax). If a company used a loader on an outsourcing basis, it would have spent only 17,600 rubles and no more on the payment of its labor. This amount consists of the hourly rate of the loader - 110 rubles, multiplied by 8 hours (duration of the working day) and 20 working days: 17,600 (110 rubles. 8 hours 20 working days). As we see, the employer would save 6109 rubles in taxes. And this is only for one employee.

Yuri GRIGORYAN,Director of Human Resources, Alfa Capital Management Company

We began to select all categories of employees on our own and train them

When we analyzed the budget, we realized that the most expensive item of expenditure is staffing. To reduce these costs, we began to increase the professional level of our selection managers. Over time, they were able to conduct a qualitative examination of candidates for any positions, and now we select personnel on our own, including top managers. We have applied the same principle of development of “internal expertise” to training. In other words, we stopped hiring outside coaches, and asked to play key specialists and tops in their roles. This also helped reduce staff costs. In addition, we introduced a saving mode when organizing corporate events. We left the key, including low-budget projects. For example, a health day, exhibitions of the work of our employees in collaboration with experts from the Union of Artists of the Russian Federation, small presentations for employees on minor holidays

Olga TOPKASOVA,HR Director of the group of companies "AYAK"

Eliminate unnecessary levels of management, cut social programs, set bonuses for savings

Try not to reduce salaries and bonuses to employees - efficiency may fall sharply. A staff reduction is only necessary if it is necessary not only to optimize costs, but also to conduct a “cleaning of the ranks”, leaving the most productive employees on staff. In my opinion, one of the best ways to optimize costs is to review the organizational structure of the company and eliminate unnecessary levels of management. Another effective step is to reduce corporate costs. Reduce social programs, benefits that were previously provided to employees in excess of statutory requirements. Alternatively, you can develop a transparent bonus system that will motivate staff to reduce all kinds of costs. At the same time, part of the saved money is partially paid to employees

Attention!

Some print media offer a discount of 5 to 10% for posting two or more blocks of vacancies in thematic sections. This is financially attractive. In addition, by posting job ads in thematic blocks, you will receive the maximum number of responses.

Olga MOLINA,HR Director, AstraZeneca Russia

Training to stretch in time, and with nonresident to conduct an interview on Skype

To reduce personnel costs without harming the company, I prioritize tasks. Then I look at what tasks are uncritical, which means that they can be abandoned or postponed. For example, to revise the employee training calendar by stretching it in time and reducing the burden on the company. It is also important to understand whether the HR department can not attract expensive contractors (consulting firms, recruitment agencies) and manage on their own. Say, ask key employees to conduct part of the trainings. Another way to optimize HR costs is to organize a tender among the remaining suppliers and reduce the cost of purchased services. In addition, modern technology will help save money. For example, instead of traveling to other cities to interview candidates, use Skype or video conferencing

Having created a company page on a social network, be sure to take care to develop its mobile version as well. Thanks to this, the page will be correctly displayed on various gadgets and mobile devices from which young people access the Internet. This means that the company will increase its chances of reaching a target audience - talented young people with high potential.

Three important benefits of using outsourcing staff

Firstly, your company will reduce the number of employees. Secondly, you can “order” workers only for the period when they are really needed. It is not necessary to pay them a salary when they have little work (as happens when employees are on staff). Meanwhile, it was noticed that downtime in the absence of work sometimes reaches 2/3 of the working day. Consequently, 2/3 of the salary is paid in such a period, in fact, for nothing. Thirdly, if your company depends on seasonal business fluctuations, you can easily reduce or increase the number of employees in a given season.

When deciding on a reduction, remember: cutting budget lines makes sense only if the reduction is a significant proportion of the company's expenses.

To save or develop, - which is good for the German, is on the Russian side.

The market dictates its own rules of the game. But do not forget - the rules are the same for everyone, and the teams playing on them are different.

Let's ask a strange at first glance question: “Why cut costs?”. In the same second, we will receive a surprise in response - "Of course, in order to increase profits."

Increasing profits is a problem that can be solved in two ways (in the most simplified way): lowering costs or increasing revenues.

And so, the task is “Increase Profit”. Solution to the studio!

What is the average Russian director doing? Reduces costs!
  What is the visionary Russian director doing? Increases the profitability of all its assets not only in the short, but also in the long term

Arguments in favor of reducing personnel management costs:

1. HR workflow? What a trifle, let the accountant lead.
2. Staff recruitment? Yes, what is there to pick up, we will entrust the secretary.
3. Motivation? Why, the salary is already so good. In an extreme case, 3 percent of the proceeds, well, or 20 percent of the profits.
4. The psychological climate of the company? C'mon, everything is great with us.
5. Training? Why are you, let the staff do this in their free time and at their own expense.
6. Simple to manage - in general, every cook can. Oh, that doesn't seem to be from here ...

We reduce personnel management costs.

Before you start to cut, we will determine, and what we will cut from what consists of:

1. Remuneration of employees of the personnel department and "salary" taxes.
2. Workplace equipment for personnel department staff.
3. Access to paid Internet resources and periodical professional publications.
4. Extra meter rent and utilities.
5. Organization and conduct of training for company employees.
6. Assessment and certification of personnel.
7. Office supplies and other trifles.

Now consider what options for reducing personnel management costs are possible:

1. Completely exclude the personnel department from the company’s staff, redistributing all functions of the reduced department between the employees of the organization.
2. Reduce the cost of business processes related to personnel management, including:
     Refuse to use paid Internet resources - there are a huge number of free sources of information.
     Refuse periodicals related to personnel management.
     Reduce the staff of the HR department, leaving one employee.
     Transfer HR specialist to piecework pay.

When deciding on a reduction, it must be remembered that cutting budget lines makes sense only if the reduction is a significant proportion of the company's expenses.
  Conducting an analysis of economic activity can give an answer to the question - “what should be reduced in the first place”. But, unfortunately, this response is often not liked by some officials of the organization and ... personnel costs are reduced.

Or maybe it’s better to increase the efficiency?

If the head believes that the HR department is the management of personnel records management and personnel selection - alas, efficiency does not live here anymore.
  If the leader understands that the staff is that resource with which ordinary companies become unique, then such a leader can work wonders.
  What can the personnel department if it is allowed to act?

• Develop an effective motivation system that will focus all the forces of the company at one point. The result is profit growth.
• Create a psychological climate, which in itself will increase labor productivity at times. The result does not change - profit growth.
• Form a team that an ordinary company can make great. The result is the same - profit growth.

Another way to increase the cost-effectiveness of personnel management is to create an independent company on the basis of the full-time HR department. The business guru, Tom Peters, calls this approach “Professional Service Firms.” If you consider your employees to be people capable of more than sitting in the office from 09 to 18, this option of increasing cost effectiveness is for you.

Reducing costs, increasing efficiency.

Why choose between reduction and development?There is a “Two in one” method - this is personnel outsourcing.

Advantages of HR outsourcing:
  An outsourcing service provider provides a resource for an entire company at a price that is lower than the cost of specialists with the necessary qualifications.
  The Contractor is interested in ensuring that the required result is achieved on time and in accordance with the Standard for the Provision of Services (S.L.A.).

Cons outsourcing:
  It does not allow the illusion of control over the employee.
  A clear understanding of the tasks that will be set for the contractor is necessary, as everything is determined by the terms of the contract.

At the end of this material I will say: Appreciate your employees. This is the only resource that can be grateful.

Sharapova Natalya Vladimirovna

phD in Economics, Associate Professor,

Ural State University of Economics

[email protected]   .ru

Sharapova Valentina Mikhailovna

doctor of Economics, Professor, Ural State

the University of Economics

[email protected]   .ru

Borisov Ivan Alexandrovich

senior Lecturer, Ural State Economic

university

[email protected]   .ru

Natalya V. Sharapova

Ph.D., Associate Professor, Ural State University of Economics [email protected]   .ru Valentina M. Sharapova

Doctor of Economics, Professor, Ural State University of Economics [email protected]   .ru Ivan A. Borisov

Senior Lecture, Ural State University of Economics [email protected]   ru

HUMAN RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION

OPTIMIZATION OF PERSONNEL EXPENSES

Annotation. This article discusses the optimization of staff costs. Today, there are several different approaches to optimizing staff costs. At the same time, we mean by optimization a change in the structure of the cost budget. In modern conditions, the assessment of personnel costs with their subsequent optimization is one of the relevant and priority areas. A reasonable approach to their optimization leads, as a rule, to a reduction in staff turnover, an increase in labor productivity, and an increase in the company's profit.

Key words: personnel costs, cost optimization, budgeting, staff reduction, staff turnover, labor remuneration.

Annotation. This article discusses the optimization of personnel costs. To date, there are several different approaches to optimizing staff costs. At the same time, we understand by optimization the change in the budget structure of costs. In modern conditions, the assessment of personnel costs and their subsequent optimization is one of the topical and priority areas. A reasonable approach to optimizing them leads, as a rule, to a reduction in staff turnover, an increase in labor productivity, and an increase in the company "s profit.

Keywords: personnel costs, cost optimization, budgeting, staff reduction, employee turnover, labor remuneration.

Like any other process - be it a superficial analysis of the organization's socio-economic indicators or a detailed study in a particular area - the assessment process involves identifying negative trends caused by any negative factors in order to possibly resolve these problems. In the situation of assessing personnel costs, the main task is the optimization process, which can be carried out in various ways, taking into account the characteristics of the personnel policy of the enterprise, its financial capabilities and other aspects that affect the choice of the best methodology. In modern conditions of a market economy, organizations prefer not unconscious submission to circumstances, but conscious and purposeful management of the development of the prospects desirable for the organization.

Today, the issue of optimization in the organization is one of the priorities, and, as a rule, is considered from two perspectives:

a) management of factors that affect the results of decisions made in the field of personnel management,

b) control and analysis of operating expenses and investments in human capital.

The first approach provides for accurate accounting and calculation of costs and minimization of any kind of losses, such as productivity, time and other resources. The second implies a certain investment in activities that contribute to increasing staff loyalty, interest and retention in the enterprise. As a result of the implementation of these positions, significant returns are expected from the personnel, however, they are often obtained only in the long term, but at the same time providing the company with a certain degree of guarantee of success.

The process of optimizing personnel costs can be represented as a total or partial reduction, as well as the redistribution of costs in priority areas of personnel management, contributing to the development of the organization in the short and long term.

In the framework of this kind of approach, the following methods of optimizing staff costs in an organization are distinguished:

1. Reduction of staff. Along with simplicity, among others, this method is most radical, which, on the one hand, to some extent guarantees a reduction in a certain share of the cost of paying salaries and other compensatory or incentive payments, but, on the other hand, can lead to acute social economic consequences in the form of a decrease in staff loyalty, labor productivity, and so on. But, given that the laid-off employee should be paid severance pay, earnings for the period of employment, "the reduction in personnel costs in this case will be noticeable at best 4-5 months after the decision to reduce."

As a rule, organizations resort to this method not only in bankruptcy situations, but also in the framework of the following management decisions, which are also aimed at reducing costs: merging organizations, acquisition, implementation of organizational innovations, optimization.

One of the most important points that you need to pay attention to is the ratio of the volume of reduction in personnel costs as a result of its reduction and losses that were caused by this procedure. However, often organizations see only “one side of the coin” in the form of a clear minimization of costs, forgetting about losses. Losses of the organization can be the following:

a) direct costs associated with the release of workers;

b) indirect losses and costs for those who remain to work in terms of training and retraining;

c) social losses at the enterprise level, expressed in the loss of confidence in management;

d) problems at the level of society in the form of unemployment and its consequences.

There are many possible losses caused by the reduction

staff, and therefore, before making a choice in favor of this method of cost reduction, it is necessary to determine how its application will be effective and appropriate in the specific situation in which the organization is currently facing.

2. The fight against staff turnover. Today, staff turnover is a phenomenon associated with rather high costs for personnel due to their selection, selection, hiring, adaptation and other processes that accompany the entry of a new employee into a new environment. And, no doubt, those who say that staff turnover is considered a relative category, and, as a result, cannot be considered as an absolutely negative phenomenon, will be right. At the same time, comparing the optimal level of the employee turnover indicator in diametrically opposite areas of activity, for example, in the retail and manufacturing sectors, the difference will be enormous, however, comparing the same indicators, but already in a similar sphere to each other at different periods and noticing the output of data indicators beyond the established standards, we understand that it is time to think about the possible causes of this kind of imbalance in the organization.

The reasons that can cause unhealthy staff turnover are many, however, as a rule, the following are most common in practice:

- “dissatisfaction of employees with their position;

Dissatisfaction with wages, conditions or organization of labor;

Lack of satisfaction from the work performed;

Inability to complete tasks;

Inability to make a career, lack of prospects for professional growth;

Relations with the team and management ”;

- “generational change”

In the modern world, the so-called generational theory, which, as it turned out, was reflected in the issue of uncontrolled growth in staff turnover, gained great fame. The revealed dependence is characterized by the fact that the younger generation considers working in a particular organization as one of the stages of a career, while the generation of retirement age equated going to work as “life-long hiring”, avoiding the thought of changing the employer.

At the same time, as in a situation of reducing costs by reducing staff, it is worth remembering all sorts of costs that the phenomenon of staff turnover leads to.

The search for the optimal solution in the issue of unhealthy staff turnover should be based on the specific reason for its occurrence, and, if we consider it, the most relevant measures, also related to the issue of generation, are reduced to the following aspects:

- “creating an employer brand;

Search for new sources of capable employees, for example, from different geographical locations, demographic groups;

Establishing constant flows of potential employees from educational institutions;

Establishment of a more competitive overall remuneration and terms of employment, and more. ”

It is worth noting that, as a preventive measure in solving this problem, organizations increase current costs, further hoping to reduce subsequent costs.

3. Attracting and retaining “talents”. The previously discussed issue of staff turnover, when examined in more detail, reveals a more critical problem, which is the departure of valuable employees, the so-called “talents” - specialists who are able to create, develop and market innovative products and services on the market. ”

The reasons for the turnover of both “talents” and ordinary employees may be similar, however, in the situation with the first category of employees, the reason for the impossibility of realizing the potential and further development of professional opportunities comes to the fore. For this purpose, an independent direction in the field of personnel management was highlighted - Talent Management, which provides for two approaches depending on the personnel policy and strategic goals of the enterprise. The “from position to position” approach and the “from person to person” approach At the same time, it is worth noting that the first approach focuses on creating a personnel reserve; the second is aimed at identifying and developing the individual abilities of each.

Skillful application of the presented methods is designed to reduce the cost of external turnover of valuable workers, increase the competitiveness of the organization.

4. The fight against the loss of working time. Not so specific, but rather mundane, is the problem of loss of working time, which both Russian and foreign companies have been struggling with for a long time. As with any other phenomenon, the loss of working time can be considered from two points of view of the possible regulation of the absence of an employee in the workplace: reasonable and unfounded. As in the case of “talents,” the study of the causes of loss of working time and the search for optimal directions for their reduction are also reflected in a separate area called Absence Management. It is worth noting that the study of working time losses in this area must be considered in conjunction with the personnel turnover indicators, since “an analysis of many studies shows that the indicators of turnover and absenteeism are interdependent, since both phenomena are caused by the same factors. In many cases, workers first show a high level of absenteeism, which leads to increased turnover. " Therefore, considerable attention must be paid not only to establishing the causes of absenteeism, but also to the costs associated with them, by conducting an assessment using a number of criteria of direct and indirect costs.

5. Operational regulation of the number and quality of personnel. In the context of this area of \u200b\u200boptimization of personnel costs, we understand the process of staff optimization, which today is one of the most popular cost-cutting measures in many organizations. Headcount optimization is understood as staff reduction, with justification for the need to reduce headcount, while studying labor costs and identifying direct losses. Operational regulation of the number and quality of personnel, in contrast to staff reductions, is carried out mainly where employees work in a flexible schedule. The peculiarity of this area is that a flexible schedule allows you to plan the work of employees with accurate consideration of the beginning, end and duration of each employee. This kind of method is widely used in retail trading companies or call centers, where the customer relationship is built and the number of specialists of a certain qualification required for their service is built. Therefore, if in some periods of working time there is a low demand for those or other services from customers, then in these cases it is possible to attract fewer workers and not the highest qualifications. This in turn makes it possible to reduce labor costs.

6. “The core is the periphery” is another of the directions of the formation of the personnel structure. This method boils down to subdivision of personnel into two categories: the first is designated as the “personnel core” and includes workers who are distinguished by a high level of their professionalism and whose knowledge on the labor market is very appreciated due to their limitations; the second is designated as “periphery” - these are ordinary employees, to whom, as

as a rule, various forms of temporary employment can be applied. This approach contributes to a more informed and rational cost planning both in terms of remuneration, and in the field of social programs and staff development. First of all, this kind of method is inherent in companies aimed at training and developing employees with unique knowledge and high potential, which will allow these employees to successfully implement themselves in the professional field, increasing their level and at the same time the level of the company.

Thus, in modern conditions, the assessment of personnel costs with their subsequent optimization is one of the urgent and priority areas of interest to absolutely all organizations, whether it is a small, medium or large business. At the same time, it is worth noting that, despite the existence of many proven methods for assessing and optimizing personnel costs, any organization, when choosing them, should, first of all, refer not only to generally recognized and widely used methods, but also take into account its specifics of activity, its own peculiarity in building a personnel management system, in accordance with which a balanced and not causing damage to personnel and the organization as a whole system for optimizing personnel costs will be built.

Literature

1. Karpova, A.V. Personnel Development Management Technology [Text]: / А.V. Karpova. - M.: Prospect, 2015 .-- 397 p.

2. Kerimov, V.E. Cost accounting, calculation and budgeting in individual industries [Text]: / V.E. Kerimov. - 8th ed., Revised. and add. - M.: Publishing and trading corporation "Dashkov and Co.", 2015. - 384 p.

3. Konyukova, N.I. Economics of personnel management [Text]: / N.I. Konyukova, O.S. Mezhova. - SibAGS, 2013 .-- 198 p.

4. Sharapova V.M., Sharapova H.B. Staff forecasting

politics in a crisis // Economics and Entrepreneurship. 2016. No. 11-

4 (76-4). S. 1148-1150.

5. Sharapova H.B., Sharapova B.M., Trushkov S.A. HR policy

organizations: personnel release // Economics and Entrepreneurship.

2017. No. 6 (83). S. 885-889.

1. Karpova, A.V. Technology of personnel development management: / A.B. Karpov. - Moscow: Prospekt, 2015 .-- 397p.

2. Kerimov, V.E. Accounting of costs, calculation and budgeting in certain branches of the production sphere: / V.E. Kerimov. - 8 th ed., Pererab. And additional. - M .: Publishing and Trading Corporation "Dashkov and Co.," 2015. -384 p.

3. Konyukova, N.I. Economics of personnel management: / N.I. Konyukova, O.S. Mezhov. - SibAAA, 2013. -198 p.

4. Sharapova VM, Sharapova NV Forecasting the personnel policy in the crisis conditions // Economics and Entrepreneurship. 2016.No. 11-4 (76-4). Pp. 11481150.

5. Sharapova N.V., Sharapova V.M., Trushkov S.A. Personnel policy of the organization: the release of personnel // Economics and Entrepreneurship. 2017.No. 6 (83). Pp. 885-889.

MODERN METHODS OF REDUCING COSTS FOR PERSONNEL IN THE CONDITIONS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC INSTABILITY

Fomina Olga Ivanovna 1, Tselyutina Tatyana Vladimirovna 2
  1 Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education Belgorod State National Research University, undergraduate
  2 Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education Belgorod State National Research University, Candidate of Sociology, Associate Professor of the Department of Personnel Management

annotation
The article reveals the problems of reducing staff costs in organizations in modern times, analyzes the state of the labor market and the "mood" of employers and workers. The forecasts of Russian employers regarding the number of employees for the next 3-6 months are considered. Modern methods for reducing personnel costs are identified and justified. Practically oriented recommendations for reducing personnel costs with the most gentle impact are offered.

MODERN METHODS OF COST REDUCTION ON PERSONNEL IN THE CONDITIONS OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INSTABILITY

Fomina Olga Ivanovna 1, Tselyutina Tatyana Vladimirovna 2
  1 Belgorod State National Research University, undergraduate
  2 Belgorod State National Research University, candidate of sociological sciences, associate professor of personnel management

Abstract
In article cost reduction problems on personnel in the organizations in modern time reveal, market situation of work and "mood" of employers and workers is analyzed. Forecasts of employers of Russia concerning the number of personnel for the next 3-6 months are considered. Modern methods of cost reduction on personnel come to light and proved. Praktikooriyentirovanny recommendations about cost reduction on personnel with the most sparing influence are offered.

Bibliographic link to the article:
  Fomina O.I., Tselyutina T.V. Modern methods of reducing personnel costs in conditions of socio-economic instability // Humanitarian research. 2015. No. 12 [Electronic resource] .. 03.2019).

The transforming socio-economic and social systems of society are undergoing drastic changes. The global economic crisis has become one of the determining factors affecting the development of enterprises of all kinds, including in the multi-vector management sphere. The crisis situation threatens organizations not only with economic problems and the loss of their market positions, but also with the loss of qualified personnel, without which it is impossible to effectively cope with the crisis. On the one hand, the rapidly changing world of technology and innovation, informatization and commercialization. On the other hand, the economic crisis is, first of all, a sharp deterioration in the country's economic situation, which is manifested in a decline in production, a violation of established production relations, bankruptcy of enterprises, an increase in unemployment, and, as a result, a decrease in living standards and welfare of the population. There is a fierce struggle for leadership in global competition. Numerous interest groups face huge risks of technological disasters, threats to the natural and information environment. But, the capabilities of modern staff have never been so great. The winner is the one who more resolutely than others uses new opportunities, technologies and strategies. In our opinion, it is important to ensure stable progressive development of the Russian economy, maximum protection of the population from the impact of crises and, at the same time, a steady and rapid update of all aspects of economic life - from the material and technical base of a particular institution, corporation, where the main element is the personnel working “In the organization and for the organization”, and, before approaches to the economic policy of the state.

During the period of economic instability of 2008-2009. very often the postulate was made that a crisis is a challenge, an opportunity to change something, a possibility of a breakthrough. Considering the current situation in Russia, foreign and Russian economists “think differently”, on the one hand, this is very important, the strongest will certainly survive, thereby strengthening the economy and reaching the world level of production. Establishment of a fixed oil price of 70-80 dollars per bar. able to stabilize the Russian economy, provided that the government makes the right management decisions, says adviser to the Analytical Center of the Government of the Russian Federation Leonid Grigoriev. On the other hand, this statement is not so much encouraging: the crisis is very serious, affecting the political sphere. And now the most important task of enterprises is to think about long-term, strategic measures.

Today, enterprise management often moves from the category of anti-crisis to the category of extreme. That is why it is so necessary to put forward and use atypical schemes for managing production, sales, finance, marketing and personnel. As regards personnel, as a rule, the only event is the reduction of staff in order to reduce personnel costs. However, in an effort to save people, many enterprises prefer to cut staff costs than to cut staff.

By its nature, a crisis can be a sectoral, regional, countrywide, global, and crisis organization. Usually, if a company has a crisis associated with inefficient management, employees quite easily leave this company and look for new jobs in the labor market. If the crisis is sectoral, then there is also the possibility of moving from one branch of work to another, with a regional crisis, there are other regions in our large country. And in a crisis nationwide or global, as it is now, employers and workers have more problems, and, accordingly, more complex solutions are required. And if the organization at such a difficult time wants to stay afloat, then the task of HR directors, heads of functional units should be reduced to the initiative to reduce personnel costs. The general approach to managing personnel costs is presented in Fig. 1.

Figure 1. Management of staff costs [compiled by the author]

According to the results of the PwC Saratoga study “Personnel Management Effectiveness Study” conducted in 2013, the share of personnel costs, and this is not only salary, this is also the cost of a social package, the cost of organizing jobs, in the revenue of Russian companies amounted to an average of 10 , 8%, and in some sectors of the economy reached 44%. These are the most significant costs. Obviously, it is completely impossible for a company to not reduce or optimize such costs in difficult times.

Modern methods of reducing personnel costs are reflected in Fig. 2. The desire to minimize personnel costs requires, on the one hand, the establishment of a connection with the development and use of scientifically-based economic methods for their calculation, and on the other, the improvement of methods for developing managerial impact. This fact indicates the relevance of the study of this article.

Figure 2. Modern methods of reducing personnel costs [compiled by the author]

Since 2005, outsourcing has been actively introduced in Russian companies. The advantage of outsourcing is a better and less financially costly implementation of the function outsourced. High quality is explained by the presence of highly competent professionals with extensive experience in this field. Due to the large amount of work in this area, the outsourcer has the opportunity to gain good experience and on its basis to create various developments to perform a specific function. This is due to the fact that the outsourcer is engaged in this area not for one company, i.e. professional specialization begins, cost reduction, and finally the accumulation effect occurs: the more specialization - the better management, the simpler management - the cheaper the whole process. Consequently, the costs of outsourcing become lower than with a similar independent implementation of the corresponding function.

Today, outsourcing is very profitable and is used in a wide range. This is outsourcing of HR management, and outsourcing of legal services, outsourcing of accounting services.

Flexible work schedules, part-time work, unpaid leave - this is the most important tool that should be actively used today. This is the tool that needs to be implemented on an individual level and well knowing the life situations of each employee. Does he pay a mortgage, does he have a child, and he may be happy to accept flexible hours, part-time jobs or unpaid leave.

Currently, unfortunately, only in Moscow is working on remote access gaining momentum. You need to understand that the costs incurred by the company for the organization of the workplace, for lighting, for the creation of living conditions when an employee is present in the office, are also expenses. Therefore, if an employee stays at home and the company carries less costs, and for the employee it is still a good motivator. Therefore, it is imperative to monitor those positions that can be transferred to flexible work schedules. Today, even amendments are being prepared to the Labor Code on the organization of this form of work.

A very promising tool is the use of the work of student interns. For a company, such a procedure will bring only positive results: firstly, students are very motivated to work, despite low wages or even their complete absence; secondly, the organization has the opportunity to free up the time of full-time employees to solve more important tasks, and students can be entrusted with simple and time-consuming tasks that do not require high competence. And, perhaps, when the unstable time passes, it will be possible to hire students, since they already have sufficient knowledge for a specific position.

A very complex and important issue is the freezing of wages. According to the report of Art. teacher HSE Faculty of Economics in Nizhny Novgorod, Alexander Larin, 65% of Russian enterprises “freeze” employee wages during socio-economic instability. Russian organizations rarely reduce salaries in nominal terms. Even in times of crisis and a decrease in business turnover, they try not to use this form of cost reduction. This is due to the fact that employers do not want to lose their employees, however, fixing wages at a certain level ultimately leads to a decrease in wages in real terms, as inflation gradually eats them up. For comparison, in the USA and Great Britain the probability of fixing wages is relatively lower - 5-20%. In EU countries, salaries are most often observed in Portugal (58%).

Combining professions is another important tool. The Labor Code establishes that, along with the work prescribed by the labor contract, the employee can be assigned additional work that he must perform during the main working time (article 60.2 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). And you always need to sell this idea to employees, as an opportunity to get another profession, to learn other skills, to get other competencies that are sure to be useful to them in the future, when they become one step higher.

The topic of promoting a company on the Internet and creating a positive image of an employer is very modern and important. In the age of information technology, the Internet is one of the most effective platforms for brand promotion. Therefore, today the task is to do everything possible so that the image of the company as an employer does not decrease, but, on the contrary, increases. Social networks are an obligatory part of the work that an individual employee must do, either dispelling myths, or, conversely, supporting the positive that actually exists.

If, nevertheless, the company has exhausted the possibilities of reducing personnel costs, then the company begins to think about reducing staff. The formula “20:70:10” can help here. It means that 20% of the staff are key specialists, 70% are line specialists, and 10% are employees who do not bring tangible benefits to the company.

First of all, it is necessary to retain key employees, this is the basis of the business, the ridge. Their list includes top management, specialists with unique competencies that are difficult to find in the market (manufacturers, etc.), department heads (linear management), specialists who own important and unique information of enterprises, personnel working with key clients, mentors , "Carriers" of corporate experience and some others. Among 70% of line employees, it is necessary to conduct unscheduled certification in order to assess the success of each, and then individually decide on the retention of the employee in the company, reduce wages, transfer him to a lower position or dismissal based on the results of certification.

Compared with the beginning of 2015, the statistics on staff reductions in organizations significantly improved (Fig. 3).

Figure 3. Employer plans for headcount for the next 3-6 months

In the first quarter of 2015, 45% of the survey participants reported that they were either planning or have already begun to carry out reductions. To date, plans to reduce staff reports only 14% of employers. A high percentage of those who are not going to search for new employees and plans to open vacancies only to fill vacant posts (43% of respondents). However, 24% of companies intend to increase staff in the coming year.

However, there are areas of activity in which notable reductions have recently taken place - this is the banking sector. Today, most of the services are available to the client through a mobile application or the bank’s website, which significantly reduces the load on offices. Bank executives often mention this when they cut staff. The head of VTB 24, Mikhail Zadornov, for example, announced data that for the 3rd quarter of 2015, the total number of transactions completed through the Internet bank increased by 1.5 times, and the total volume of transactions increased by 59%. He also mentioned that at the end of 2014, the bank will reduce 11% of its employees (4,000 people across the country) and close 57 unprofitable offices. Earlier this year, other banks announced significant reductions (table), with the main layoffs in the first quarter.

Table - Reduction of staff in retail banks in Russia for the first half of 2015

In the spring of 2015, the VTsIOM conducted a major study of sociological opinion on the state of the labor market in Russia. According to its results, about 1/3 of the respondents believe that there may be delays in wages (37%) or a decrease in salaries (35%). A shift to a part-time week or sending on unpaid leave requires 30% of respondents.

According to the survey, Russians are most concerned about job cuts (their relatives were close) - with a certain degree of probability, 38% of Russians are already expecting this, 7% of them are convinced of this or are observing similar things. However, half of the respondents (50%) are still optimistic and believe that this will not happen.

Every fifth respondent (20%) is firmly convinced that in the future he will find a decent job without any difficulties. A third of the respondents (35%) think that having made certain efforts, they will also be able to get a job that is in no way inferior to today's. Significant difficulties in the search for a similar job are seen by 27% of respondents, and only 12% think that they will not be able to find a job without demotion or salary.

All organizations are individual and each way to reduce costs must first be well planned, analyze the results, and then decide on the implementation, or search for a more profitable way.

The crisis is forcing managers to work in new ways. Particular attention should be paid to the head of the main resource - his employees, using innovative methods. Only in this case, the staff will feel the care of management and will begin to work with full dedication, which will ultimately increase employee loyalty to the enterprise and will help mitigate the consequences of the crisis and overcome it.

 

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