Sick to death of the gloom and doom surrounding the dire state of the UK economy? Well, you'd better get used to it.
With Meryvn King's bleak forecast and this week's news that the number of firms planning redundancies has shot up to 27%, there's no denying now that Britain is inching uncomfortably close to the brink of the dreaded R-word.
It seems the depression of a recession is setting in - a 'feel-bad factor' that many of us are experiencing as we slide towards it. There's a chill in the air and we know it's not just the weather.
But there's a silver lining in all these storm clouds. Experienced, recession-hardened HR professionals are in high demand. Calls for such resilient HRDs and interims, best able to weather continued job erosion, are growing, with several headhunters telling Personnel Today of a sharp increase in demand for those of you who have 'been there, done that' in previous recessions and therefore more likely to weather the impending storm better than most - particularly those used to making redundancies, advising on efficiency and squeezing the most out of resources.
Perhaps it's time to dust off your CV and blow your own trumpet about some of the large-scale change management successes you've been responsible for.
And recession-proofing your own career by sharpening up your skills will be key.
As well as upping your own game, you will need to ensure your organisation is equipped with strong leaders who, in these turbulent times, can ride out any recession. And tough times call for strong performance management strategies. Removing deadwood from your organisation will become more important than ever.
Those of you used to the good times face your first taste of managing people in tougher times and a painful transition before the storm clouds pass.
Were you an HR professional managing in previous recessions? Post your responses here or e-mail personneltoday@rbi.co.uk with your experiences.
