Published on Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008
That the ‘one career, one company, one job’ phenomenon is on its last legs is old news. What’s pleasantly surprising is that nobody is complaining anymore!
As the dust settles on the erosive downswing in ‘jobs for life’ expectations, employees are no longer hankering after job security. In the aftermath, they have accepted that their jobs will never be secure again and are moving on from there.
A new way of thinking has emerged that turns traditional notions on their head and tosses stability out of the window. A recent survey conducted by Executive Access, India’s leading global search firm, more than corroborates the winds of change. The results reveal that in the corridors of the corporate world, security is considered an important job factor by a mere one percent of employees and pay packets by only three percent!
As the dust settles on the erosive downswing in ‘jobs for life’ expectations, employees are no longer hankering after job security. In the aftermath, they have accepted that their jobs will never be secure again and are moving on from there.
A new way of thinking has emerged that turns traditional notions on their head and tosses stability out of the window. A recent survey conducted by Executive Access, India’s leading global search firm, more than corroborates the winds of change. The results reveal that in the corridors of the corporate world, security is considered an important job factor by a mere one percent of employees and pay packets by only three percent!
In the hot seat…
Battered by an upsurge of restructurings, layoffs and downsizing, employees have rudely awakened to the fact that they are considered easily expendable and cannot depend on their employers for permanent employment. But, with no job guarantees anymore, there is no guarantee that an employee will ‘deign’ to stay in the same job either.
Today, job-hopping has become hysterically rampant as employees are willing to change jobs at the drop of a hat, without even experiencing any qualms over it. They actually don’t want a job for life!
A mobile workforce is in the making as people happily skip from one company to the next and at any given time, almost everyone is actively or at least passively looking for a better job. Educated estimates state that an average employee will probably work in 10 or more jobs for five or more employers before retiring.
Actually, the new generation does not care for job stability, they just have to walk across the street (maybe to a competitor, be warned) to get another one.
As such, employees have acquired a sense of detachment, which makes them rather self-sufficient. They are not unduly worried about losing their job. Under the new rules, they are actually changing domains willingly and easily moving across functional areas. The aim is to diversify skills and build portfolio careers with no strings attached.
Taking the risk in their stride, today’s employees hold themselves continuously responsible for finding ways to add value to the work. By working proactively and seeking to fill company needs, they bring untold positivism, creativity, reliability and efficiency to the job.
Battered by an upsurge of restructurings, layoffs and downsizing, employees have rudely awakened to the fact that they are considered easily expendable and cannot depend on their employers for permanent employment. But, with no job guarantees anymore, there is no guarantee that an employee will ‘deign’ to stay in the same job either.
Today, job-hopping has become hysterically rampant as employees are willing to change jobs at the drop of a hat, without even experiencing any qualms over it. They actually don’t want a job for life!
A mobile workforce is in the making as people happily skip from one company to the next and at any given time, almost everyone is actively or at least passively looking for a better job. Educated estimates state that an average employee will probably work in 10 or more jobs for five or more employers before retiring.
Actually, the new generation does not care for job stability, they just have to walk across the street (maybe to a competitor, be warned) to get another one.
As such, employees have acquired a sense of detachment, which makes them rather self-sufficient. They are not unduly worried about losing their job. Under the new rules, they are actually changing domains willingly and easily moving across functional areas. The aim is to diversify skills and build portfolio careers with no strings attached.
Taking the risk in their stride, today’s employees hold themselves continuously responsible for finding ways to add value to the work. By working proactively and seeking to fill company needs, they bring untold positivism, creativity, reliability and efficiency to the job.
Divine justice
Consequently, the balance of power is slowly shifting away from the employers. It is no longer the employee who cannot afford to lose his job, but the hapless employer, who cannot do without the ‘almost indispensable’ employee. And, with attrition levels rising constantly, the tables have well and truly turned on the employers! After all, how can organisations respond to an unexpected downturn, when at least half of the staff is planning to walk out of the door any moment? A top workplace expert sums up the situation perfectly with, “It is employers, not employees, who need to worry about job security!”
The ball is in the employers’ court now and they have to constantly be on their toes to keep employees motivated. The fact that a worker can easily carry away valuable skills and knowledge adds to the oppressive pressure. Unfortunately for them, the paradox is that the once highly valued job security is no longer enough to inspire loyalty and commitment.
Therefore, the biggest challenge facing them is to understand the new drivers driving today’s employees, the Executive Access survey further reveals that as much as 43 per cent of the respondent group places high value on career growth followed by learning and empowerment as the secondary driver. Employees are eschewing the security of repetitive jobs and roles and even turn their backs on top companies in favour of a growing career path and job satisfaction. They pull the strings, stipulating interesting and important work along with the freedom and resources to perform it well, knowing very well that they will get what they demand.
The onus is on the employers to create a proper work environment resplendent with open communication, stimulating work, flexibility, autonomy, new opportunities, enhanced training and a healthy work/life balance.
Then and only then they can hold on to their valuable employees.
Consequently, the balance of power is slowly shifting away from the employers. It is no longer the employee who cannot afford to lose his job, but the hapless employer, who cannot do without the ‘almost indispensable’ employee. And, with attrition levels rising constantly, the tables have well and truly turned on the employers! After all, how can organisations respond to an unexpected downturn, when at least half of the staff is planning to walk out of the door any moment? A top workplace expert sums up the situation perfectly with, “It is employers, not employees, who need to worry about job security!”
The ball is in the employers’ court now and they have to constantly be on their toes to keep employees motivated. The fact that a worker can easily carry away valuable skills and knowledge adds to the oppressive pressure. Unfortunately for them, the paradox is that the once highly valued job security is no longer enough to inspire loyalty and commitment.
Therefore, the biggest challenge facing them is to understand the new drivers driving today’s employees, the Executive Access survey further reveals that as much as 43 per cent of the respondent group places high value on career growth followed by learning and empowerment as the secondary driver. Employees are eschewing the security of repetitive jobs and roles and even turn their backs on top companies in favour of a growing career path and job satisfaction. They pull the strings, stipulating interesting and important work along with the freedom and resources to perform it well, knowing very well that they will get what they demand.
The onus is on the employers to create a proper work environment resplendent with open communication, stimulating work, flexibility, autonomy, new opportunities, enhanced training and a healthy work/life balance.
Then and only then they can hold on to their valuable employees.
PAYAL CHANANIA
No comments:
Post a Comment