An increasing number of employers who made cuts to their HR programs are planning to reverse them in the next six months, including salary reductions (44 percent) and freezes (33 percent) and cuts to 401(k) matching contributions (24 percent).

Employers recognize that the program cuts have an effect on employee engagement. More than half (52 percent) of employers are now more concerned about retaining their top performers and critical-skill employees than they were before the economic crisis hit. Companies are increasing communication (83 percent) and changing roles to expand responsibilities (47 percent) as ways of engaging employees during the downturn, among other actions.