In 1980, the government issued "Protect and Survive" - a handbook offering advice on how to stay safe in the event of a nuclear attack.

So how can you keep your staff motivated and spirits high during such an economically challenging time?

With news of a credit crunch making the headlines everyday, worries about everything from the cost of a weekly shop to mortgage increases are bound to take their toll. The stress that the current climate is causing can result in negative effects on the enthusiasm and production levels of your staff, and therefore ultimately on your business.

It is vital that you put steps in place to keep your team motivated if your business is to survive during this period of instability.

Top Five Tips for on how to boost staff morale in turbulent times.

1. Dress Up and Dress Down - Plan regular dress up or dress down days to keep spirits high. Choose a different theme each week such as Hawaiian or Sports and offer a small prize for the best costume, or charge a small fee and donate the money raised to a local charity.

2. Time Out - Take your team outside for ten minutes of Tai Chi each day. It provides a calm and relaxing break from the stresses of the office. Alternatively you could bring in a professional masseur to give shoulder rubs to staff at their desks, helping them to unwind and release tension.

3. Win Win Win - Competitions are a great way to incentivise staff. Why not offer a small reward such as an extra days holiday or a morning off for the most productive or punctual employee of the month.

4. Get Out There - Organise monthly social gatherings for your team to join in on. Meals out, bingo and karaoke are great ways to boost spirits and encourage team building. Or why not treat your staff to a day out of the office paintballing or go-karting to really get the adrenalin going?

5. Way to Behave - Hire a professional performance coach to look at the behavioural patterns of your staff. A quick analysis will be able to tell you how much of the negative performance is caused by stresses relating to the current economic issues and a coach will be able to provide sound advice on how to counteract these patterns.

Paul Drew is the Marketing Manager of Pareto the focus of Paul and Pareto is to help graduates and sales people find the best graduate jobs http://www.pareto.co.uk/graduate_sales_jobs.aspx along with helping companies to develop and invest in sales training http://www.pareto.co.uk/sales_training.aspx and sales processes to develop the skills of sales teams. The challenge is ensuring that sales processes get the right management and investment in the key areas that will have the biggest impact on your sales revenue. Pareto was established in 1994 with offices in Wilmslow, London, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds and Nutley. For more information on how to contact me on the either of the website links above.