While dark humour engulfs corporate world over with phrases like, “let’s go in and see if we still have our jobs”, a common feature closer home is that industries treat human resource with family ethos and try alternates before announcing the dreaded job cuts. “Job-cuts, if ever, will be the last resort and not the first,” says Sachit Jain, executive director of Vardhaman Group, who for starters has replaced his fancy fleet of cars for an Indica to reduce travel expenses. “By this small sacrifice, I have cut the travel cost to about half, as everyone else in the company too follows suit,” says this director, who believes in cutting luxurious expenses of the top management in times like these. This, along with other temporary amendments like — all will travel by economy class, telephone and entertainment bills to be reduced and if still need be minimal salary cuts to be borne by all, Jain lists out.

Though all agree, India is relatively less recession-hit. “The economic slowdown has started and each of us has to look for a way to sail through with full workforce,” says Anil Kohli, president, business development, Surya Pharma. At Maruti Suzuki, it’s a process review that is in transit. “We are looking at using one gram less in every component, when about 5,000 components are used to make one car. This, without compromising the quality of our products in anyway,” informs S Y Siddiqui, managing executive officer, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, adding that of the total cost of the company, 79 per cent is material cost and 2.4 per cent is of manpower. “Besides, we are looking at leading by example. I have cut communication cost and I am expecting my employees to do the same. Also more saving can be done if administrative process is scrutinized,” feels Siddiqui.

From minimalistic cuts like that of electricity, photostat, travel to big ones like those on material, companies around town are surely taking precautionary measures. “The pharma industry is not much impacted by the meltdown, but yet we are taking measures,” says Dr G Munjal, CEO, Ind-Swift, who is analysing processes and reducing the number of shifts to two from the earlier three, where possible. “With 7,000 employees in our company, we have never had a problem from them and now when it’s time to give back, we cannot turn our back. Rather than sacking people, we would cut cost through alternate ways,” he says. Now that’s the spirit!