Awaiting Recovery, Companies Avoid Downsizing

An article in yesterday's New York Times highlighted a specific challenge facing many small businesses in today's economy. While large corporations can simply downsize their workforces during lean times, a small company can't always afford to lose the staff. Laying off employees would leave them unprepared for an economic upturn.

But keeping people working--in every sense of the word--can be difficult. How do you fill all that free time? Long periods of inactivity can hurt morale.

The companies profiled in the Times article have found ingenious ways to keep their employees occupied. The owner of one marketing firm took some of her contractors on a unique "listening tour," resulting in a new business strategy and ten new clients. Another company started a book club, selecting business-related titles that would enrich staff.

Let's face it: Most businesses can't afford to keep everyone working during a severe recession. But these fortunate companies can teach us all a thing or two about how to fill down time creatively. So how does your organization handle the occasional lull? What ideas do you have?