Are You Being Treated Fairly?

I noticed another question had been posed by Chris Shaw, and I was tagged by my very good friend Kathi Kellenberger. Here is the question taken directly from his blog:

“Do you feel like you are being treated fairly at your current or past employers? The question stems from the fact that very few people today stay at a company 20 to 30 years like they did when I was growing up. Do you feel like the company feels a loyalty toward the employee or do you think that they look at you just as head count?”

Brent Ozar responded fairly quickly to Chris’ tag. I think Brent did a wonderful job with his post and would not think to change a thing. I do, however, want to add my two cents to the discussion.

I hear statements similar to this a lot: “…people do not stay with a company like they used to…” and I liken such statements as that to “there is only enough oil to last another forty years”, or “kids today don’t have any respect”. Statements that are simply passed down from one generation to the next, like a contemporary version of oral history similar to what Native Americans would have done. Did you know that we were supposed to run out of oil by now? Or do you recall your grandparents telling you how much better your parents had it as kids than they did?

Now, am I to believe that previously in our history companies always existed, never went out of business, or people never changed jobs? That someone finished school at sixteen years old (roughly), went to work at the mill, then retired and only worked that one job their entire life? Sorry, I do not believe that for a second. Things change all the time. People change jobs now, as they did before. Companies come into, and go out of, existence just as they have before. Sure, I bet we all have some family members that worked somewhere for thirty years, but I also bet that was not their only job.

People Today Have Greater Mobility

I do, however, believe people are working for more companies in their lifetimes these days than they did previously. But I do not believe that has anything to do with loyalty on either side of the management and labor lines. I believe it has to do with greater mobility than anything else. In fact, in this day and age, we are blessed with the fact that we have many more options to find work than ever before. No doubt my grandparents would have up and left for a new job if they had an opportunity to do so. When they didn’t like where they were working they would go on strike and try to force change right where they were. I cannot imagine going on strike if I did not like something in my workplace. I would just leave, and have.

I do not believe all that much has changed as far as employee and employer loyalties go. I just think employees these days have more options, are are exercising them wisely. Chris talked about a difficult situation he faced at one company and I would argue that similar situations exist in each and every company in the world. Nothing is perfect. Bad decisions are always going to happen. Someone is always going to feel slighted, but I would much rather look for a new job than work a picket line.

I love what I do for a living. My current employer and previous employers have treated me very well. Not perfect, but well. I have also tried to make an effort to take advantage of where I am to learn and grow as a professional. We are always going to be seen as headcount, but we are also going to been seen as people. No company, not even the Chicken Ranch, will hire people just to have warm bodies. They are going to hire people that they hope they can keep happy, because happy employees are productive employees. Believe me, all employers would love to have their people stay for thirty years. Imagine the cost savings in recruitment efforts!

Benefit Plans Have Changed As Well

Another factor is the defined benefit and defined compensation plans. See, in the old days most companies always provided some type of pension. These days pensions are rare and 401k plans are the rage. Now, how many people stay at a place because of their 401k plans? Probably very few. But turn back the clock and you had better believe that staying somewhere because of a pension was definitely commonplace. See, today you can take your 401k with you, but back then (and now) your pension stays.

I think the loyalties on both sides are the same as they were before. The real question you should ask is: do employees feel as if they are entitled to more? In other words, do we have people entering the workforce expecting their companies to bend over backwards for them these days? And when that doesn’t happen they then decide the grass is greener so they pack up, take their 401k with them, and move to the cube across the street. Do you expect your employer to pay for training, or additional education? If so, do you think your grandparents expected that as well?

So, yes, I do feel as if I have been treated fairly by my employers, past and present. I was courted, we dated, and then we would grow apart. But I was always given a chance to make things work. Previous generations would have fewer options to move on, it probably also explains why divorce rates are higher these days as well, because more people are able to be divorced than before. So before you think that things are worse now than before try to think about all the things that have improved over time.

Human nature has not altered all that much in that past one hundred years and while you can make a case that the relationship between management and labor has changed dramatically I would argue that the basics have not. You start a business, you need employees, and you need to find ways to keep them productive. While the “how” may change from one generation to the next, the base fundamentals stay the same.