On the up

The recession is over. According to some. But while no one really knows what the upturn will look like – whether a sharp ascent, a steady incline or even the more depressing “double dip” – it remains true that, economically speaking, what goes down must go back up. And an upturn requires careful preparation by any business to ensure that all the opportunities it provides are expected, assessed and taken. Here, six leading business academics, who will be speaking at next month’s CIPD annual conference, offer their opinions on how HR can help organisations make the most of the upturn. All were in broad agreement that preparing for the good times is equally as – if not more – important than preparing for the bad. And that, like racing drivers exiting a corner, those that are slow out of it risk being overtaken by the competition.