As businesses continue to be cautious in their hiring practices, cost containment measures are on the top of every boss’s mind. Here’s what most of them have been doing, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey:

1. Postponed start dates – To secure talent while delaying expenses, many employers are presenting job offers with start dates that have been pushed back.
2. Furloughs – Mandatory unpaid time-off is also becoming an increasingly popular way of reducing costs. At most companies, the furloughs are one week or less, the majority being one to two days.
3. Pay cuts – Pay is also being affected. Of the employers who cut wages, most reduced salary by more than 5%. Many are making pay cuts according to salary and title.
4. Hiring Freeze – Bringing new employees on board is tough right now, and most companies aren’t doing it. Though a few employers say they will be hiring going forward, many foresee a continued suspension of hiring.
5. Revised sick day policies – Many employers are reviewing their sick and paid time off policies. They’ve started offering fewer paid days off, and limiting the number of days that can roll over.
6. Fewer perks – Businesses are scaling back the benefits they give their employees as well. The main areas impacted are bonuses, 401(k) matching and medical coverage. Other items getting slashed are free refreshments, employee incentive trips and tuition reimbursement.

A company needs to cut staff, but is able to get by with minimal layoffs — however, the plan also requires many employees to be moved around among different departments.

One employee in particular is spared from the chopping block, but must be transferred to a different department than he’s used to, for a job with less prestige than his previous position.

And instead of being grateful for his continued employment, he won’t stop complaining about his new role. He still completes all his tasks, but only satisfactorily, and his toxic attitude is killing morale.

His manager comes to HR for advice. We recently asked three HR managers how they would respond:

Response #1: I’d have to personally sit down with the employee and explain that we’re all in a tight spot right now and need to work together to get through it. I’d also get specific examples of his bad behavior from the manager to help me outline any changes he needs to make.

Response #2: The key would be making sure the employee understands why the change was necessary. He was obviously a good enough worker that we decided we had to keep him, so its possible there’s some failure in communication that led him to believe he was being demoted or that he isn’t valued. I’d sit down with him to set the record straight.

Response #3: Sounds like the employee needs to be warned about his actions — and fired if the behavior continues. Morale is probably bad enough as it is without a constant complainer, so we’d need to stop the problem before it gets any worse.

What about you? If you were in this situation, how would you handle it? Give us your opinion in the comments section below.

As the job market remains tough, more employers will start seeing candidates who have spent significant amounts of time out of work. But how long is too long?

A recent Robert Half survey asked 150 executives how long a manager could stay unemployed in this economy before his or her career was negatively affected. The average response: nine months.

Different experts have different recommendations for how companies should view those gaps. Some say its no big deal, while other say companies should be concerned about the applicant’s skills and work ethic. Of course, a lot of it depends on the reasons the candidate gives for the gap.

What do you think? Would you be concerned about hiring someone who hasn’t worked in several months? What would you ask in the interview to find out whether a resume gap means anything?

Let us know in the comments section below.

Here are a few of the best no- or low-cost motivators, according to the PBP Executive Report Motivating Without Money: 91 Inexpensive Ways to Keep Employees Happy:

1. Put them in pictures – Using photos of employees for advertising materials, Web sites and other company publications is a great way to show appreciation by making workers the face of the organization.
2. Give shiny cars – Many people are putting off new car purchases for a while, but your company can help them get a car that looks new. You can buy an express car wash for about $5; so for $100 you can give 20 employees a clean car.
3. Write a note – Even when you can’t add money to employees’ paychecks, managers can use them to add motivation. Every now and then, managers can add a handwritten note to someone’s pay stub, offering thanks for doing something positive.
4. Let them brag – Put a large bulletin board in a public place where employees can post certificates, newspaper clippings and other items about themselves or loved ones.
5. Thank the whole family – When an employee puts in extra effort, a manager can send a care package to his or her home, containing things the family can do together.

What are some of the low-cost motivators your company is using these days? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

These days, employees have a lot to worry about. That gives HR and management a new challenge: keeping all those outside distractions from affecting people’s work.

Obviously, you can’t change the situation. But what can you do?

You can help front-line managers keep the situation under control. Their behavior will have the biggest impact on whether so-called “recession fatigue” takes hold of the workplace.

The first thing to do is make sure they understand recession fatigue is contagious, says executive coach Ellen Lubin-Sherman. Once one employee starts worrying aloud, complaining or gossiping about the company’s future, everyone’s productivity can go out the window.

Managers need to head off problems at the pass. Here’s what Lubin-Sherman recommends:

• Pay attention – Managers need to be on the lookout for employees acting unusually — coming in late, calling in sick often, turning in work late, etc. If anything like that starts happening, it might be time for the manager to have a face-to-face chat to see what the problem is.
• Keep the door open – Many managers say they have an open door policy — but now’s the time to stick to it and remind employees.
• Be realistic – Employees can see right through false optimism during difficult times. If layoffs, pay cuts or hiring freezes are likely, managers need to discuss the possibility openly and honestly. They just need to make sure they stress that company will do anything it can to protect people’s jobs.
• Don’t play therapist – In tough times, managers do need to handle some emotional topics with employees, but that doesn’t mean its their place to “diagnose” employee’s problems. Just reassuring people about the company’s future is sufficient.

The goods news: Few small or mid-sized companies are following suit.

Only 3% of employers plan on eliminating their 401(k) match this year, according to a recent survey by WorldatWork. Almost three quarters (74%) plan on keeping things the same, while 8% will likely decrease the match and 15% will actually increase it.

What it means to HR: Companies thinking about retooling retirement benefits to cut costs may want to reconsider — it may result in a big staffing disadvantage compared to competitors who keep their plans the same.

They held their supervisor hostage.

With half of the workforce facing elimination, employees at a 3M factory in Pithiviers, France, kept the plant’s manager locked in his own office for more than 24 hours.

Employees held Luc Rousselet hostage once severance package negotiations between the company and the union broke down. He has since been released and talks have continued, CNN reports.

Though it sounds unbelievable in the U.S., this behavior has become common in France as more companies go through mass layoffs. Last month, a manager at a French Sony plant was locked in an office until he agreed to reopen talks about severance pay.

A few weeks later, angry tire factory employees threw eggs at their boss after hearing the plant would close.

As for the 3M saga, the strangest part may be Rousselet’s reaction. After being let go, he said: “I am very happy for the employees of the Pihtiviers factory. I know that this was a very difficult layoff plan for them.”

The Department of Labor (DOL) discussed that issue in a recent Opinion Letter. An employer asked for the DOL’s opinion on this situation:

Because of a drop in business, the company started putting employees on furlough. Workers are first asked to volunteer to take time off. Then, if there aren’t enough volunteers, the company chooses employees on a rotating basis to take mandatory leave.

In both cases, employees are given the option of using accrued PTO. If they don’t have any accrued leave or choose not to use it, the time off is unpaid.

The problem: The mandatory leaves are often shorter than a full week. So the company asked the DOL: Can an employer deduct less than a week’s worth of exempt employees’ salaries when they’re forced to take time off?

No, the DOL responded. Salary deductions can be made when an exempt employee takes a day off for personal reasons. But, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act, “if the employee is ready, willing and able to work,” deductions can’t be made because the employer decides to keep them home.

Employers are also allowed to reduce employees’ weekly hours and change their salaries accordingly. But if hours and pay fluctuate from week to week, the employees will no longer be considered exempt.

Read the entire Opinion Letter here.

These days, most companies get a flood of resumes for every open position they advertise — many of them from overqualified applicants who are newly in need of work. How can interviewers separate the ones who’ll quickly leave from the ones who are worth hiring?

Overqualified applicants can give companies a chance to get top-notch talent on the cheap — or it could just mean people are going to quit as soon as the kind of job they’re used to is available.

Here are some topics to address in an interview to see if a candidate will pose any problems:

1. “What would it take to keep you here?” — Retention is often a manager’s biggest concern when considering an overqualified applicant. But many times, that concern can be cleared up just by asking the candidate how the problem can be solved.
2. “What makes a job exciting to you?” — Another top worry is that candidates used to higher positions will be bored at a job with less prestige. In the interview, managers should find out what keeps the applicant interested in a job, and see if the answer fits the position.
3. “Tell me about a time you and your boss disagreed on how to get something done?” – Sometimes, the more experience people have, the more they’re used to doing things their own way — which can cause problems once the person lands in a new environment. That’s why interviews should see how a candidate reacts to disagreement and change.
4. “How much of this type of work did do in your previous job(s)?” — Sometimes, an overqualified applicant is a former manager trying to step down to a production-level job. That can be a problem if the person hasn’t done any hands-on work for several years.
5. “What are your long-term goals?” — The goal of most overqualified candidates is to get back to a job at a level similar to the one they left. Others are simply tired of management and want to stay at a lower level. It helps to find out the candidate’s expectations for advancement and consider whether the company can offer a compatible path.

Has your company hired any overqualified applicants lately? How did it work out? What did the hiring manager ask in the interview to make sure there would be no problems?

Share you experience in the comments section below.

In 2008, the number of discrimination claims filed with the EEOC reached a record of 95,402, the commission announced recently. That’s up 15% from 2007.

The area of sharpest increase: age bias complaints. About 24,500 of those were filed in 2008, up 29% from 2007.

Of course, the increase isn’t simply because companies have ramped up discrimination against older workers. Experts say it’s likely more older workers are being laid off and are having a hard time finding new jobs.

But as the number of claims increase, its more important for managers to avoid giving the impression of bias to job candidates and employees.