Comments on: Not Really Breaking News: Employers Are Assholes

By: kmlwa

kmlwa — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:39:43 +0000

Employees are company’s best customers. I don’t get why they don’t get that.

By: I am so angry at my employer I am spittign nails

I am so angry at my employer I am spittign nails — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:20:39 +0000

I am spitting nails. Our boss decided to have another kid and will be on maternity leave from july to Septetmber. Because she got herself pregnant no one is allowed to take a summer vacation!
WE do not do her job and we are only taling about a couple of weeks.
Company’s want employees to give and give and treat their workers like shit. This is wrong especially when working in the helping profession on top of it!

By: Ty Touchard

Ty Touchard — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:08:35 +0000

Where was this blog when I posted “It’s an Employers’ Market. Ugh!” Wednesday, August 5, 2009 on my blog. This is much more bold and stated with much more passion!

I applaud this post with all my heart.

Well done.

By: Derek Irvine, Globoforce

Derek Irvine, Globoforce — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:26:58 +0000

Too true, too true. It’s easy to be deluded by this misconception during a recession, but numerous survey results and other research show a majority of employees are planning to look for a new job when the upturn comes. For company leaders, that’s the same as sitting back and watching your top talent walk out your door to join your competitors. To maintain and even competitive advantage, be sure you are acknowledging the value your employees bring every day.

Stephanie Lloyd wrote a great post on this (specifically on treating new hires/interns poorly): http://www.radiantveracity.com/2009/08/why-taking-advantage-of-your-new-hires-is-a-really-really-bad-idea/

More research findings cited here: http://globoforce.blogspot.com/2009/08/keep-your-greatest-competitive.html

By: HRM Today - Blog Archive » Ways you could be losing your employees

HRM Today - Blog Archive » Ways you could be losing your employees — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:04:41 +0000

[...] Tell them that they are lucky to even still miraculously be employed while you’re at it (Punk Rock HR, nailed this last week). Then kick their dog. That’ll drum up loyalty real [...]

By: Goose

Goose — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:10:35 +0000

Great post! I”m working for a well respected [don't know why] global corporation very much into offshoring. Morale is low on our account … feedback to acct mgmt is that they’re doing a crappy job! Their solution: let’s have a bowling night! No raises, no bonus, benefits cut every year. I did eat about $100 worth of chicken wings on bowling night … guess I’m ahead of the game.
Don’t be standing near the exit sign when the economy turns around…

By: Headhunter Spouse

Headhunter Spouse — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:10:40 +0000

The impact of the lousy employer is also long lasting. The problem is that the first job newbie learns “the way its done,” and then repeats what was learned, throughout a career. Very few people ever learn to say, “This is wrong, I will NOT do it THAT way.” For example, at one company facing a slowdown there were discussions on saving paperclips, cutting out free coffee, and similar nickel and dime solutions. The kicker was the boss who had a cube built, discovered the sun hit the CRT, and then spent $18K to rearrange the cube. BTW the admin was grossing less than the cost of the rebuild. Some slights you never forget.

By: Kristin Currier

Kristin Currier — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:07:04 +0000

..and another thing….most of the employed and unemployed folks I know are seriously reinventing themselves. They are going back to school, teaching themselves new things, and adapting creatively to to better their present situation. So when the economy improves, we will have a smarter, more agile workforce. That means the worker who is “lucky to have a job” will be looking at a much better job when the economy improves.

So employers should not undervalue or underestimate their best talent. They will be the first to leave you when things get better.

By: Callie

Callie — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:46:12 +0000

Go Sister! Someone talking the truth out there! I was layed off in April after 5 years of solid and productive performance. I do HR for a living…ugh 21 years worth of it. I was layed off on a Fri at 4 p.m. Hello – you don’t do that to human beings. I’ve put up with 20 somethings phone screening me (out), useless interview questions, and numerous requisitions closing (we decided not to fill the position) #%@#$ huh? The absolute rudeness out there is astounding. I try every day to keep my head high and above the slinging of bs – what else can you do.

By: Human Potential Accounting

Human Potential Accounting — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:46:51 +0000

During the economic downturn, we see the psychological contract being broken all over the place. Organisations are still allowing employees to do that bit more without giving that bit back. But don’t worry, mistreatment of this kind will come back round to bite them on their arse. These broken psychological contracts, quite understandably, have been said to lead to reduced performance, organisational commitment and raised intentions to quit.

It is true that at the moment people are just happy to have kept their jobs. However once the recession has passed and people are once again able to move freely between job’s, organisations that have mistreated their employees will be about to experience some ridiculously high turnover rates!

The only objection I have is lumping all employers in the same boat. We have to be realistic. The recession has affected them badly and it is of no surprise that they have had to take action to survive. While some have mistreated their employees, others have approached the problem in a mature and open fashion. For example, some organisations have left the decision of how to deal with this problem to the employees. Whether that decision is that everyone cuts their hours, redundancies are made or that all staff members are required to take unpaid leave.
As long as employers are fair and justified in the action they take to survive the recession, I believe employees (whilst not necessarily thrilled) will accept and understand these changes.