I received a message in my PM today but couldn't respond because I haven't been here long enough so I'm going to respond here. I understand what "PM" stands for and I'm not posting here to mention names because I don't feel that's appropriate. After all, the PM's are "supposed" to be private right?
Hey, I respect that and will do so. When I can respond back, I will. In the meantime..........
However, I do want to comment on the recent threads about workers and their feelings about employers. First off, I'm not corporate or "for" corporate power in a way that destroys everything about America and what we stand for. But people need to be able to differentiate between what they can and can't do. LIke I've said, the workers that feel stressed, underpayed, overworked, and squeezed to death (basically) do actually have choices. If they want, they actually can leave. They have that right. Unless they're contracted to fulfill an obligation (which very few are) they can go try to get a job elsewhere. And even the ones that are contracted can do as well (even if it means losing a lot of money because they opted out of said contract). In our society you can pretty much work wherever you want whether you like it or not. That part's up to you.
The thing is, the people responding that it's the employers that are overworking and underpaying employees are correct, the employers probably are. They may or may not be and I'm not necessarilly disagreeing or at least partly but it depends on too many variables to break down each and every employer. (I'm not going to say all employers are or aren't and will just speak from experience that I know some do and don't). But these people also fail to mention that the employees that feel this way about their employer can leave at any time. It's a free country and you're not "obligated" to work for someone by any means. Of course employers overwork and underpay their employees because they can. If an employee doesn't like it, they can "show the man" and leave. But instead, an employee that has a family, house, debt, and other things doesn't want to risk losing what little they may have with their little paycheck by leaving and "possibly" not getting a better job somewhere else. Or even a similar one with similar pay. This is the difficult decision BUT STILL a choice that you have. YOU CAN LEAVE if you don't like what you're employer is doing.
These people that don't like their job may be great employees and well worth more than what their being paid and probably deserve more time off. (Or at least some of them). I'm not at all disagreeing with these statements but understand that if they are "so great" as employees, why don't they prove it to their boss by making their employer feel like they are so invaluable that if they lost them their business would suffer. That's the point. If an employee is so great or at least good enough to help a business so much that an employer would pay them more and give them more time off AND...less of a workload, the employer probably would because they felt the same way. But if the employer didn't feel this way, it's the employee's responsibility (job) to prove otherwise, not the employer's. Rarely, if ever, is an employer going to give a raise unless it's mandatory or policy. Some employers do give bonuses and raises without employees asking but this doesn't happen very often and we all know it.
An employer is never going to pay more than they should or expect less of their employees or offer more time off UNLESS it's felt it IS NECESSARY. Any business that pays more than they should ends up going under because it's simple math and economics (that's what P&L's are for). Because of this, employers will always squeeze more out of their employees than employees want. That won't change even with a good economy.
Like I keep saying, if you want something to change, you have to make it happen. If these people are so confident that they can get another better job elsewhere then why don't they? Why? Because they're not sure they can. That's not the fault of the employer. If I felt I could do better somewhere else, it does me no good to keep complaining about it. I would have to weigh all my options to decide if I felt "potentially" being without a job for a few months or even a year (like some people may be right now) is worth it or trying to keep putting up with the bs until I can't take it anymore.
At the same time, most employees that consider a different job "usually" go job hunting while they have a job and ask that their current employer not be contacted for confidentiality reasons. Unfortunately though, this is a risk for multiple reasons. If an employer is considering them for a position and this is the way an employee goes about looking for a new job, I would be skeptical as an employer about hiring them because they wouldn't be forward enough with me to tell me (as an employer) that they are considering other job opportunities. They could up and leave at any time. This hurts the employer. Or an employer could say they understand that they also wouldn't want to lose their job if they too were in the "potential" employee's shoes and looking for a new job and respect that. They might do this but still keep in the back of their mind that the employee was looking for another job while at their current employer without notifying said employer. I've had employees just not even show up without a phone call. Nothing. This puts my business in a terrible position from a business standpoint. It doesn't have to be personal. I've also had employees give 2 weeks or even 1 week notice. Hey, I completely respect that even if I didn't like the person. That's the right thing to do. I've been taught to always give notice. If nothing else, this gives a "good" employee and opportunity to PROVE to their employer that their worth more money, time off, bonuses, less work, a promotion, etc. If an employer knows that one of their employees is looking for a job, (especially in this economy), it would make me wonder why they would want to switch jobs. But again, the employee needs to show the employer their worth. Saying "I'm hardworking" doesn't mean crap anymore. Show me why your so good and why your valuable, don't just "say" you are. I can say I'm great but have to prove it to my employer. This is only fair. But someone who is not willing to be forward and communicate that they feel like a different scenery might suit them better is only showing me how disrespectful they can be. I don't want this person working for me.
Regarding ces1948's comments, they are probably accurate. Employers would be shocked if all of a sudden employees left and their business failed. But as far as the "good" employees leaving in droves, that should be happening already. If the employees are so "good" (like I stated before), why do they need to wait for the economy to take a crap for them to leave? Good employees know their worth and can usually show it to employers or "potential" employers. The bad ones will always be bad, the average will be average, and the good might be good but not if they don't constantly show it. That just makes them average like all the other employees. If you're average, you're only worth "average".
