The talent war seemed like it would last forever. Employers desperate to fill vacancies but unable to find solid job candidates; applicants receiving multiple job offers; employees expecting more from their employers and using their newfound leverage.
Both employees and employers gained as a result. Employers developed compelling value propositions to attract new employees and gained clarity concerning their mission and what they needed and expected from employees.
Employers took a fresh look at their pay, benefits packages, and training options. After they recovered from sticker shock, they reaped benefits in the form of engaged, high-performing employees.
Employees landed jobs with employers that provided them tangible and intangible benefits in the form of competitive wages, enhanced benefits packages, work/life balancing flexibility and career-enhancing professional development.
But things didn’t work out well for some employers or employees.
My inbox fills each week with emails from ticked off employers that fought for employees who came aboard partially and skeptically, never fully engaging.
“Quitter’s Remorse” (https://bit.ly/3zOaMlq) reveals that more than one employee felt, “I quit a perfectly good job and landed in a perfectly horrid one,” and “I’m hoping to return to my former employer.”
And things are about to change once again. We face a recession. Employers, like employees, squeezed by inflation, can’t afford what their vendors are selling without raising prices for customers that can’t afford to purchase those products and services.
The employer’s recourse—slowdowns and layoffs OR getting smarter once again.
Meanwhile, employees that are losing the edge they’ve gained, that have lost some of their pandemic superpowers, need to get wiser as well.
How? Before you jump to a new job and employer, background check them as seriously as employers vet job applicants. If you work for a good employer, keep your job and make it better, by making yourself a great employee and by working with your employer to make your job better.