What will happen to internal comms in a recession?

What might happen during an economic downturn and what you can do to keep your job.

Anxiety is setting in among some internal communicators, and fears of recession have veteran recruiter Jean Cardwell’s phone ringing.

“People are anxious,” Cardwell told Ragan.com. “They are asking me to keep an eye on other options for them.”

The problem is, there aren’t many other options. While companies have, so far, refrained from firing internal communication staff, there are few actively hiring internal communicators, recruiters in Chicago reported.

The United States may not technically be in a recession (defined as two successive quarters of negative economic growth), but worries are spreading that last year’s clamoring of “if there is a recession” has become “when the recession starts.”

Three important tips from 25-year communication veteran and Chicago-based executive recruiter Jean Cardwell

1. Get political. This is the time to have a few conversations with company brass so, if the ax does fall you can avoid it. “Don’t assume you are beyond office politics because you are in the communications department,” Cardwell advises. Get in there and mix it up.

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