Time is
Money
Do you ever feel like interviewing for a job can
turn into a waste of time? According to a Wall Street
Journal article, many people do. The solution: Charge
prospective employers for your time.
This may sound too good to be true, but a new Web
site started by Imaxo Inc. is taking a new approach to
interviewing. Now, established professionals looking for
a job change can submit a resume to Imaxo's Web site.
Along with their qualifications, these job seekers
include a price indicating how much they expect to be
paid for granting a company an interview.
This option may not provide the same results for
everyone. More qualified employees will most likely reap
the greatest rewards. Asking prices can vary anywhere
from $25 (the minimum a company can pay) to $1,000 for
the most qualified candidates.
Other Web sites with similar tactics include
referrals.com, angami.com, thesquare.com and refer.com,
which provide a channel for employers to pay fees for
referrals of friends and family.
Getting the Cyber
Boot
With more and more Internet companies running into
financial trouble, laid-off workers are in an uproar over
the manner in which they are shown the door. In many
cases, workers receive no severance, or even worse,
little or no notice from employers.
According to The Wall Street Journal, since the
year 2000 began, dozens of dot-coms have gone under,
leaving thousands of people without jobs. Others have
downsized, with the same results. While some companies
treat departing employees fairly-supplying severance and
outplacement assistance-other smaller Internet businesses
may not have the necessary human resources policies in
place.
Some workers express anger over their
disillusionment with the feel-good new economy, where
workers are "treated more equitably." Others chalk it up
to a learning experience, taking the attitude that
nothing in the industry is as solid as it looks. Either
way, it looks as if the honeymoon between Internet
companies and employees may be over.
Long Road to
Retirement
News about how well the economy is doing is
starting to get old. As we reap the benefits of these
prosperous financial times, what are we doing to prepare
ourselves for the uncertain future? A recent Workforce
article discovered that the average 40-year-old has saved
only $46,000 toward retirement-that's an average of
$2,300 a year if he/she has been working for 20
years.
At that rate, the average American is not going to
have enough money at the age of 65 to retire. What about
the possible disappearance of Social Security? What would
this do to career progression if a senior decides (or
needs) to stay with a company beyond the age of 65? The
organization would probably lose one promising
individual, or even more if word got out that there was
no room for promotion.
Brent M. Longnecker, executive vice president of
Resources Connection, feels financial planning for the
entire workforce could help matters. Keeping employees on
top of financial changes and policies will improve the
overall work experience and culture. An educated employee
is more productive, easily retainable and has a greater
trust in the company.
Longnecker believes companies are a lot like
politicians: "They can get a lot of public relations to
make them look good. But really caring about the future
of their people-and not saddling someone else (or this
country) with unmanageable liabilities-is the mark of
someone (or some company) having substance over style.
That is the mark of true leadership."
Organizational
Ethics
We would all like to believe that every time we
make a decision it is completely ethical, but we know
that isn't always the case. It seems as though we feel
the same toward our organizations. The National Business
Ethics Survey, conducted by the Ethics Resource Center,
found that 90 percent of American workers expect their
company to "do what's right, not just what's
profitable."
This sounds good, but when the study team observed
workplace misconduct, they found that 26 percent of
workers lied, 25 percent withheld needed information, 24
percent had abusive or intimidating behavior, 21 percent
misreported hours worked and 17 percent had
discriminatory actions.
Ethical conflicts can be detected by three simple
tests. The "Butterfly Test" is the internal feeling of
butterflies in your stomach, causing nervousness and
discomfort. Gut reactions are often early warning signals
of an ethical dilemma.
The "Authority Test" is performed by asking
yourself, "What would your mother say if she were looking
over your shoulder?" or "How would you advise your own
child in this situation?"
Finally, the "Public Scrutiny Test" asks if you
are willing to have your unethical decision published for
everyone to see.
So the next time you feel pressured to compromise,
take these tests and remember that even the most ethical
people are prone to making the wrong decision at one time
or another.
November-December 2000
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Issue Highlight —
A Sign Of Hope
