I was reading an article by Mark Whitehouse titles "Unfilled Openings Frustrate the Jobless" (The Outlook, October 11, 2010) and got to thinking about the people left behind at my former employer. I wonder how they are feeling about all of the work they absorbed after the massive downsizing? Mark's article focused on the delays still being seen in hiring across the US. Do they see themselves as over-employed? Do their employers see them as over-employed people as well?
The reasoning for continued delays in creating openings and filling current openings is being pinned to a lack of confidence in consumer demand. In this same article, Jeff Joerres CEO of Manpower, Inc., says employers are taking a lot longer to fill positions even when presented with the right candidate and he expects to see this condition continue through 2011.
So here we are:
First, those still employed or possibly over-employed, are left taking on the work of their former colleagues. Once the market does start to shift, will those employees feel put-upon and tend to leave for a perceived greener pasture? It's hard to say, but it reasons out that there may be a mass exit of sorts once things shift in the economy. We already know that the employed are more sought after than the under or unemployed, so wouldn't it be fair to say that those employed when the market really shifts, will still be in the most competitive position for job change and employment?
Second, if this lack of confidence continues through 2011 as predicted then will the under and unemployed stay trapped in this status and is there a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy happening. The longer someone remains under or unemployed the less likely they will be seen as valuable to a prospective employer, or so the logic would suggest. Employers are fearful of over-hiring. Employers have, in some occupations and industries, been able to take longer, remain pickier and exclude potentially qualified candidates due to their current "employment status".
Whether you are over-employed, employed, under-employed or un-employed - What do you think about the situation?
For those of you under or unemployed...
People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!
You can do this!
Matt Krueger: Yes, if you have multiple jobs and not enough time in a day to fulfill your commitments to each.
ReplyDeleteAnother thought... This one has to do with work-life balance. How much of your life should be consumed being "employed" vs being a father/mother, a husband/wife, a brother/sister, a volunteer, a hobbiest, etc? If you have a very secure job because your company cannot afford to lose you - because you might be the glue that holds the place together- you could feasibly be "over-employed."
ReplyDeleteIf you are doing the work of 2-3 people, and cannot get it done within a reasonable work week (say, within an avg of 60 hrs), I could see this being called "over-employed." I know people like this, but for them, their work is their life anyway; so, maybe it needs to be left to perception. Or, maybe they have lived this way for so long that they no longer have a frame of reference to be able to identify "me time."
Some people fall into this scenario and begin to feel guilty if they are not filling their down-time with work activity - even at home. That is not healthy, but certainly an interpretation of being "over-employed."
Similarly, some people fall into the category of "all of the above," and then also choose to regularly socialize with the people they work with. To them, their career is their identity. To on-lookers, they may be "over-employed;" but if they find fulfillment in this, more power to them.