If the unsteady economy doesn’t improve during the next six months, one in four HR professionals say their organizations are “very likely” to respond with wage freezes, according to a new poll. What's your Plan B if the recession double-dips?

A recession has a way of changing the way businesses do business. HR is no exception. Here are three effective strategies for HR pros to consider as the economy recovers and their organizations permanently adopt the cost- and time-effective strategies they have embraced out of necessity over the past couple of years:

When it's time to present next year's HR budget, get the C-Suite's attention with these six talking points. They'll show you mean business.

Innovative employers are applying five new principles when they talk to employees about health and health insurance. As you look for ways to encourage employees to be active, informed consumers of the health benefits you offer, see how many you can incorporate into your own communication plans.

After two years of painful payroll reductions, there’s enough light at the end of the recessionary tunnel for some employers to begin considering pay raises. In many organizations, pay hikes will come in the form of variable compensation plans. Experts say two tactics can help HR pros create variable pay plans that strike a balance between risk, reward and fiscal stability.

When researchers at HR consulting giant Towers Watson were compiling new stats on 2010 employer health care costs, they uncovered some fascinating findings from the world of behavioral economics that innovative employers are applying to their health communication efforts. As you look for ways to encourage employees to be active, informed consumers of the health benefits you offer, see how many you can incorporate into your own communication plans.

When the weather or another emergency turns your employees into accidental telecommuters, your organization will be better off if they’re prepared to work from home. Before the next weather emergency hits, develop systems and start training your employees to work productively from remote locations. Here are guidelines that have worked in organizations around the country:

If you’re in HR, chances are you played some role in crafting the most recent version of your organization’s mission statement. But now that the words are plastered on your web site and the plaque is hanging in the lobby, do your employees truly understand your mission? Heck, do you even understand it? Here’s practical advice for keeping it real.

If H1N1 flu threatens to shut down businesses nationwide, employers are going to need contingency plans to make sure they keep running. Flexible work schedules, temporary shutdowns and telework can all help—but all have unexpected wage-and-hour implications. Here’s guidance from the Department of Labor on how to handle these tricky issues.

For countless organizations, cost reduction remains an overriding business imperative. But too many employers continue to swing the budget ax without seeking employees’ suggestions for what and where to cut. To cut costs in ways that have the least impact on retention and productivity, take the following steps that experts recommend for including employees in the decision-making: