These days, the faltering economy is a hot topic. Of course, a lot of people are scared and, in many cases, angry. It's times like these when some wonder if having a twenty-four hour media is helpful. "If it bleeds it leads" is a motto that doesn't seem conducive to good analysis, or to even noticing when good news comes along.

There is some! Good news that is.

Now, certainly, there can be much to be angry about. It's understandable that in times of economic uncertainty, it can be hard to resist the temptation to stereotype all companies as conscienceless entities responsible for thousands of lost jobs.

Except that, this time around, the truth is more complex.

All of us, corporate America included, have been through this before. Recent history gave us the dot-com bubble burst, and its lessons have not been forgotten. In today's downturn, more companies understand that slashed payrolls and mass layoffs can be painful and counterproductive. The fact is that post-dot-com corporate America has kept its workforce lean, skilled, and productive. This is especially true in New York, where we have an educated and skilled workforce. Corporate interests are not served by decimating it. In most cases, today's company is looking to trim the fat, not the worker.

This is why many companies have been exploring and implementing alternatives to layoffs. Some of these alternatives might still be painful for the employee, but all are less painful than outright job loss. For instance, many companies are instituting unpaid vacations and the four-day workweek in an attempt to preserve jobs.

You might never guess it from watching some televised news reports, but the business community in general does not believe that Armageddon is upon us. Quite the opposite. Nearly all feel strongly that this economy is going to come back, just as it always has, and they are planning accordingly. The last thing they want to do is lose their skilled and productive workforce, leaving them in a less than ideal position to compete once the economy turns around.

Companies that are anticipating the inevitable economic rebound, are cutting the cost of doing business in areas other than labor, thus making sure they keep their workforce intact.

For instance, some companies are bringing in professional organizers to streamline their operations and manage projects. A good organizing professional can increase productivity and profitability by utilizing state-of-the-art techniques in areas such as employee time-management and workflow efficiency.

The professional organizing field is experiencing growth even in these less-than-ideal times.

"I definitely did not want to lose any of my employees," Renee Gross of Long Island-based Charles Gross Plumbing & Heating said when interviewed. "I hired a professional organizer instead. The firm I hired goes beyond the typical sorting, purging, and rearranging of space. Our office is streamlined and efficient. It frees your mind, saves you money, and allows you to be more creative."

As all of us work hard while waiting for consumer confidence to rebound, (and there are already early signs that it is doing so) maybe we don't need to jump on the latest fear of the day. Most of us, worker, management, laborer, and owner, are just trying to get through this, and to get each other through this. And you know what? We're going to do it. Bet on it.

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