The recession is not about delegating the responsibilities to the lower levels of the management. The HR Responsibilities are usually centralized in the beginning of the recession to make sure the implementation of the decisions is consistent.
The HR Responsibilities are always very delicate. The HRM Function has to divide the HR Responsibilities between the HRM Function and the managers. When the economy grows, the bigger part of the HR Responsibilities can be transferred to managers, but they should be announced, it can change quickly.
The HRM Function has to be ready to take back the HR Responsibilities from the managers and to tell them what is necessary to do. The managers do not like, when their managerial responsibilities are limited, but in the beginning the common approach is very important for the organization.
The HR Responsibilities are very sensitive, but the HRM Function has to be strong to call some HR Responsibilities back, when the recession comes. The HRM Function has to announce to the managers, when and how the HR Responsibilities will be returned back to them.
The HR Responsibilities have to be managed centrally in the beginning of the recession as the organization can make quick decisions about the talents, employees to be fired and many other issues. The managers would start lot discussions, but the recession is not about discussions, it is about the quick actions followed by strategic initiatives, when the HR Responsibilities should be returned to the management.
