From the installation of the so invoked crisis, specialists’ prophecies started pouring: it will last long, or a little, it will be destructive or imperceptible, we will face a new economical era or we will live in the present one.

The prophet –specialists didn’t forget to go over the human resources field. Therefore an opinion wave was formed which stated that managers have one less thing to care about, as it has been solved by the crisis: human resources.

Therefore I’ve decided to assume the role of a myth buster and analyze some of the most recent human resources myths, as they do nothing but worsen things, determining managers to adopt the “if things work, why should I change anything?” tactic.

Here are the previously named myths:

• Recruitment and selection processes have become extremely easy, and valuable candidates (and cheap, moreover) are very accessible to all firms.

Recruitment has without a doubt become easier, job adverts having applicants that reach thousands. However in this context, selection has become a nightmare! Cause processing so many applications, the majority irrelevant, isn’t what you can call a relieve in the work of a HR Specialist.

As to the cheap and accessible part, I must say one thing to those who are implicated in recruitment and selection: we refer to the same data base of candidates as we did last year! Only now, some of them have become more visible for the recruiters who couldn’t reach them before.

It is interesting to mention that even if the Romanian teaching system is in obvious decline, and companies almost never invest in professional development, we expect a crisis to bring value to the surface. Which value? The one we create with maximum of parsimony?

Furthermore, valuable candidates, who are a minority as I was saying, are more prudent and don’t want to change their job in such tumultuous economic conditions. In turn the wolf-candidates, who up until now were obviously not interested in a salary or a firm, have put on the lamb coat, trying (and succeeding in the eyes of less experimented) to look as something that they’re not. Does this look simple? I assure you it is not!

• Because of the crisis, employees are motivated in doing their job better.

The majority of employees is overwhelmed by the controversial information, by the disappearance of their office colleagues, by the day after tomorrow uncertainty. Terror and motivation aren’t quite similar things: one thing is doing your job mechanically, in fear and another thing is to work truly motivated, with engines to the full. Maybe the difference is too subtle in manner of everyday tasks but in ways of results it becomes obvious.

• Personnel fluctuation has reduced itself. Welcome performing organization!

A low personnel fluctuation in an uncontrollable context isn’t necessarily a sign of organizational health. As I said before, fear and prudence don’t increase performances but only anguish and mechanic, repetitive, run of the mill work.

• The employer has regained his power!

This is more a truism than a myth. The employer has always had all means, indifferent of the economic conditions.  After all he is the one who sets a recruitment offer, who makes the employment offer, who draws conditions, even if they are negotiable. Although they have the option to chose, candidates can’t get hired in a company that…doesn’t hire.

Employers had the same freedom in drawing HR strategies, in firing or hiring since always. Some of them manifested this freedom even in abundant economical conditions, dismissing or choosing to fight the lack of eligible employees with efficient means (investing in professional development, recruiting by quality and not quantity).

“The employer’s dictatorship”, one of the concepts which came into sight recently, is nothing but a pathetic try to inflate the anemic muscles of some companies with no strategic thinking, no courage and no ideas. As long as legislation hasn’t changed (remaining a pro-employee one) the employer has the same rights and responsibilities as up until now.

• If we sustain that we regained power, candidates and employees will have less demands!

Considering the fact that we are bombed with negative messages, the last person from whom we want to see the same behavior is the leader of the company we work for! The only effect that this type of messages has is that employees will sense instability more acute and will totally be unmotivated.

Instead of obviously declaring its power, a true leader tries to find means of being followed in his steps. If showing a dictatorial attitude seems like a solution for you, just try it! I remind you that all dictators ended badly.

Beyond all this myths lies a reality: the new conditions had shown us, us the people and companies, that it can be worse. That we must be competitive, that we must care, that the future doesn’t always sound good.

It’s just that an organization doesn’t represent a sum of rational fellows, but a sum of employees influenced by a multitude of messages, behaviors, actions, results. If managers believe in myths, not taking into account the truths that they hide, they risk in leading their organizations to the sweetest and unproductive surfeit.