Though I suck at picking sports (every year I think the Jets are going to win the Super Bowl), I do have a knack for seeing the marketing future. Here’s a forward-looking view of hiring as we crawl out of the recession. When we emerge, which I believe will happen by the time the leaves grow back, there will be a pretty amazing sucking sound of employees being yanked back into the workforce. It won’t all be pretty, though.
You see, those currently with jobs have been working without raises for a couple of years. Many have seen their hours and wages cut. Bonus, what are they? A good deal of these workers – especially the younger ones – are pretty angry and disloyal. The anger has been exacerbated by the fact that they’ve been looking over their shoulders for months, living the nervous life. These employees are looking for someone to say “I love you” and they’re ready to move.
Those who have been out of work on the other hand, have been networking and reading and studying their asses. They are likely to be among the first to get called back when jobs open up. And if they start schlepping their boxes into offices before current employee salaries get back to par, the workplace will get testy. There will be even more churn.
Human resources people need to be getting ahead of the curve. They need to communicate with current employees about turnaround plans and efforts to correct salaries. Plus they need to be meeting and cherry-picking the best of the best who are currently on the beach before that big sucking sound begins. Peace!
