Материалы аналитического доклада будут полезны тем, кто занимается планированием международных, межрегиональных и сравнительных исследований в целом, исследователям практик УЧР в России, HR-специалистам и представителям бизнеса, интересующимся трендами в управлении людьми в российских компаниях.

The CRANET project is a unique phenomenon for the scientific and professional community in the field of human resource management. It exists in the form of a network of scientists from more than 40 countries. Its implementation over the course of 35 years testifies to the successful solution of a number of methodological and organizational issues inherent in international comparative research. In particular, the issue of sampling in countries with different economic structures and economic sizes, the development of a common questionnaire for all countries, and the coordination of the process of data collection and analysis. This report is the first to analyze the activities of the CRANET network as an example of organizing collaborative scientific work from the point of view of creating value for the network itself and its participants – universities and researchers.

A team of researchers from the Higher School of Economics, representing Russia in the project, took part in three waves of the study: 2008–2009, 2014–2015 and 2021–2022. In the analytical report they are considered sequentially, with a separate subsection devoted to each of the waves. Due to differences in approaches to compiling samples of companies, comparisons of the results of the survey waves were carried out where possible. Also, survey data in the report is presented as accurately as possible, and in some cases, necessary. It is worth noting a common feature across all three waves of the study. Its results reflect an objective picture of the state of human resource management in Russian companies at a certain point in time. The objectivity of the information presented is due to the fact that the survey respondents were HR directors and heads of human resources services of companies and organizations. They gave answers to the survey questions that did not involve value judgments and required reference to accurate data and facts.

The 2008–2009 study was conducted on a sample of predominantly small and medium-sized companies (almost 84 % of companies; the total number of companies surveyed was 56). Perhaps for this reason, a number of characteristics of the HRM system in Russian companies (primarily the low share of personnel costs in operating costs and the leading role of line management in basic HRM issues) were close to those existing in companies in Eastern European countries. However, the status of heads of HRM services in the management hierarchy in Russia was higher than in most countries of Eastern Europe, with the exception of the Czech Republic and Slovenia.

Notable features of human resource management in Russian companies were the high degree of use of various flexible forms of employment (primarily fixed-term contracts and casual employment) and the low formalization of the personnel assessment system. The degree of coverage of companies with formalized personnel assessment systems in Russia turned out to be lower than in any country included in the CRANET study. This provided line managers with additional opportunities to influence subordinates.

Freezing ruble wages and reducing the number of personnel has become the main ways to reduce operating costs in a significant proportion of organizations. Most often, employee incomes were cut due to the variable (bonus) part and bonuses, although salaries in their “grey” part were also reduced. Line managers used “squeezing out” of employees by transferring them to a lower level of pay (without bonuses and additional payments). Large companies resorted to massive staff reductions or announced such plans in order to obtain government support funds.