Based upon our current situation in the job
market, employers are in a position to control the terms of the market
today~ since there are more people looking for work than there are jobs
available. Because employers can influence the terms of the market,
prospective employees and current employees are at a major disadvantage.
Employers are confident these days, knowing that job seekers and
employees will eventually have to succumb to the employer's terms of
the job market.
Depending upon which
side of the market you’re on, you’re either at a huge advantage or at a
disadvantage in the marketplace. Based upon our current situation in the
job market, employers are in a position to control the terms of the
market today~ since there are more people looking for work than there
are jobs available. Because employers can influence the terms of the
market, prospective employees and current employees are at a major
disadvantage. However, many job seekers and employees are willing to
make necessary sacrifices in order to acquire steady employment with a
reputable company, or stay employed. This could mean…putting one’s heath
at risk or sacrificing family, friends, and/or social life. Is this
fair to prospective employees and those individuals who are currently
employed? Based upon employee feedback, many feel that employers are
undeniably taking advantage of the condition our economy is in
currently---because they know job seekers and employees will eventually
have to succumb to the employer's terms of the job market, which of
course, is unfavorable for them.
One big disadvantage
is that the employer dictates salary. It’s tougher now for prospective
employees to negotiate the salary they want during his/her interview
process. It has become a national trend for employers to offer
prospective employees a much lower salary (fair market value) than prior
to the recession and as anticipated by the candidate. Some candidates
disclose the salaries offered by employers are quit insulting, to say
the least. And we are talking about individuals who have at least a
bachelor’s degree in a certain discipline, along with several years
experience. Also, many current employees claim they have gone without
raises since the recession hit. And others have had to take a huge
salary cut in order to stay employed with the company. And lets not
forget those who actually lost jobs due to company downsizing, mergers,
and acquisitions.
Another
disadvantage is that some companies are requiring its employees to work
mandatory overtime hours when necessary. This has inconvenienced
employees who find it more suitable to work only regularly scheduled
hours in order to meet family obligations and/or other commitments
outside of work. Also, job seekers are finding that mandatory overtime
is listed as a requirement in many job ads.
Another downside is, some employers are expecting more from their
employees by requiring that each worker take on additional task, without
being compensated for such. This goes back to the job description that
reads, “Must perform other duties as assigned”. It’s best that when
job candidates are going through the interview process he/she should
examine the job description closely before accepting a job offer. In
fact, before one decides to respond to a job ad, he/she should pay
particular attention to this clause.
And yet another drawback is, workers claim they’ve had to forfeit
desired vacation time because there wasn’t coverage for the office. The
problem is, most companies claim they can’t afford to hire additional
staff, which means it’s difficult to find someone to fill-in for those
who request to take vacation. And hiring temporary workers for the
moment is not always the best solution for employers either.
A negative aspect of
being in an employer’s market is that many job seekers cannot find work,
and with employees steady losing jobs…this adds to the problem of
unemployment. But what’s really awkward is when the unemployed finally
land an interview; the recruiter poses such questions like, why have you
been out of work so long? What have you been doing all that time? I can
imagine many interviewees wanting to respond, what do you mean what was
I doing…I was looking for a job, stupid! Well, of course they can’t
say what they really think. But, you get the idea… These have to
understand that these are questions the recruiter has to pose during the
interview process. With that being said, it’s a fact that some
companies refuse to hire folks who have been unemployed for six months
and longer. Long-term redundancy has impeded many job seekers from
getting hired. Actually, nowadays, it’s much easier to land a job if
you’re currently employed.
And finally, many
workers have reported stress related illnesses due to working in an
extremely stressful work environment constantly. Which leads to another
major issue…health insurance. Companies nowadays, claim they cannot
afford to offer its employees health insurance like in times past. In
some instances, employers offer insurance, but at an outrageous cost to
the employees. Therefore, some employees opt not to acquire company
insurance because they simply cannot afford it.
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