A few days ago I met up with some former colleagues from my days as an online journalist which is where we all got to know each other, and have remained friends ever since. We originally met back in 1999, and had all arrived there after lengthy careers working for newspapers in all corners of the UK.

The company we worked for moved away from delivering self-generated news, which saw us all having to leave over about a 12 month period. I opted to go into public relations, while everyone else returned to newspaper world, and being more settled, they stayed in Yorkshire taking jobs with regional newspapers.

Even back in 1999 it was evident that the newspaper world was going to have come to terms with the emerging digital world, meaning it would have to adapt or die. Ten years on and it’s looking very much like many papers could go to the wall as they’ve largely ignored the warning signs.

Over the past few years newspapers have lost huge chunks of ad revenue thanks to job ads going online, along with the emergence of estate agencies operating on the web.

Ah, estate agencies; that brings me to the recession. With no-one moving house, the bulky home supplements that contributed heavily to keeping the papers buoyant have shrunk – and what job ads there were have also diminished, meaning that newspaper management have been looking at ways to cut costs and that inevitably means axing staff.

All my colleagues – while still employed – are fearful of their jobs though, but as newsrooms get smaller it means there will be fewer reporters on the ground, leading to less stories and a cut in pagination. This means that there’s less of a product for the public to buy; but then again news comes through so many other sources nowadays: 24-hour TV channels, mobile phones, plasma screens in shopping malls and railway stations, and even through social media sites such as Twitter (as a citizen journalist, and anyone can get involved in this.)

All my old colleagues are currently going through review processes and those scoring low are the ones likely to be made redundant.

Through our client Fluid, I now know about “engagement”, which is about happiness, morale and motivation.

Therefore, those getting a low score are more likely to have been there for a long time, and due in part to bad management have lost interest in the company. “X” may once have been enthusiastic, but for numerous reasons now just turns up, does the job, then goes home without putting in much effort.

In the current climate, bosses that are switched on to engagement are able to give positive messages about the future, balanced by the difficult challenges that have to be faced and overcome in the short-term.

Essential facts which are crucial to engaging employees include recognising them as key stakeholders and as individuals who have made their own personal investment in its success, while the plans for the business are clearly communicated.

Some of the techniques of engagement include turning responsibility into a reward such as getting an employee to train a new colleague, and explain what qualifies the mentor for this important assignment.

When employees must work at the weekend, provide a catered lunch and when it comes to recognition, knowledge is power so set a goal to find out one new thing about each of your employees today.

A really nice touch is to bring something back from a business trip for each employee as a thank you. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just thoughtful. You’ll be surprised how far this goes!