ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out to assess the HR responses of employers to the recession. It begins by outlining the methods used to conduct the survey. It then examines the impact of the recession on firms in order to establish the commercial context for the HR actions adopted. Next, following the discussion in Chapter 2 of the HR practices that may be adopted by firms in the recession, the chapter examines the types and incidence of measures taken by firms in order to adjust to, and address, the recessionary conditions. This includes an analysis of whether firms may have adopted specific sets or ‘bundles’ of HR practices and what the features of these might be. The chapter also considers how HR functions in firms have weathered the recession. Finally, the chapter investigates the HR practices that survey respondents considered to be most effective in helping them manage the recession.
