Continuing to train, develop and celebrate success are crucial to successfully managing consultants in a low cycle, say leading recruitment executives.

Clarius CEO Kym Quick told Shortlist that almost every manager who'd been in the recruitment sector over the past three years would know what it was like trying to keep staff motivated in times of weak demand.

"It's a no-brainer to identify that, yes, the market is a problem - but that creeps into the psyche of consultants and they feel like they have no control over their destiny, and it becomes very hard to stay focused," Quick told Shortlist.

At Clarius, she said, managers sought to keep staff focused on the essential activities that were part of their job, and used performance management processes to help those who were struggling.

"I think a lot of managers make the mistake of thinking performance management is about managing people out of the business, and it shouldn't be - it should be about managing people up."

This meant giving staff more visibility over how they were performing, examining what wasn't working, and using this information to help them get better results, she said.

Performance management was particularly important, she added, because it was demotivating to high performers to see poor performers not being effectively managed.

Quick said recruitment companies should continue to reward employees' hard work through events and parties, even if it meant doing things on a smaller scale.

"Most people in the last few years appreciate that once upon a time we might have had a massive black tie Christmas party, and it may have changed to a picnic in a park, but [staff] will be equally appreciative of it."

She noted that recruiters who got their start in a difficult market would excel when demand strengthened.

"I think the bad times have given us all an opportunity to strip away the layers of the business, look at what we're doing, how we're doing it, and what's important to focus on in these tough times.

"And when the good times come you'll reap the rewards, and you'll be ahead of the curve when the market comes back."

Bear market is critical relationship-building time

Andersen Partnership chair Niall Hamill told Shortlist that a bear market provided a unique opportunity in terms of developing staff.

"The very best and easiest of times to build a relationship with a client is when they're not hiring.

"Because volumes are lower, there's less competition from internal recruiters, RPOs and other recruiters generally, it's far easier to maintain margins and generally easier to gain exclusivity," Hamill said.

He said some managers might find themselves tempted "to manage by the stick more than the carrot" when trading conditions were poor, and this should be avoided. "Management by fear just doesn't work."

He argued that KPIs were outdated, and rather managers should focus on "educating [staff] that huge opportunities exist" even in tough times, recognising and praising hard work, and continuing to provide challenges and opportunities for progression.

Managers should muck in

Chris Sandham, managing director of M&T Resources, said managers themselves needed to roll up their sleeves and go out meeting clients and winning business, to show staff that all hands were on deck.

"They should not be sitting in their offices all day, managing KPI reports and phone stats."

Laying off staff as a means of staying in the black was an unwise course of action, and redundancies should be avoided if at all possible, Sandham said.

"The underlying tone of redundancies has a bigger impact than you think and instils a fear culture, which does not give you a return."

Staff were more likely to feel engaged when they understood the big picture, even if day-to-day activities weren't bringing great results, he said.

"Successful managers create a purpose for work, the 'Why', not the 'What'. Having people engaged, through the 'Why', is key to great results and retention."

Echoing Quick's comments, Sandham said recruiters stayed motivated when they felt they had some control over their work life, and training on best practice of day-to-day activities, knowledge of candidate markets, and new sourcing techniques, could help with this.

"Soliciting for ideas from the team is another way of increasing engagement; it creates more of a connection to the company," he said.