Here in the U.S., we celebrated Labor Day yesterday. Labor Day has its roots from a little over a hundred years ago when several labor groups (read industrial and agricultural organizations) petitioned for a annual holiday to celebrate their contributions to the American way of life.
All fine and dandy, but the reality of life in the 21st century is the concept of "labor" has changed since its' Victorian age introduction.
Statistics have show that industrial and agricultural occupations have shrunk in recent years whereas office based work has grown.
Even more important, is the explosion of non-full time and non-permanent workers in our modern economy. Contractors, part-timers, temp workers and consultants are filling more and more open slots.
Opponents argue that these non-traditional employees are either victims of evil corporations (for failing to provide them benefits, insurance, etc.) OR the enemy (for taking away positions which historically would have gone to full time workers).
Regardless, the argument overlooks a few international trends...
The cost of full time employees, for any number of reasons, has grown. Many employers have opted out of the traditional management/labor template spelled out over the past hundred years.
The employment border is broken. One hundred years ago, employee availability was limited to walking distance from a central operation. Today, an employee for a New York based company might be in Bozeman, Montana or Bangalore, India.
Income Evolution
At Marketing Me! we do not play the game of what's right or wrong. We play the game of income evolution. We go where the money is. If it is full time work today, it may be part time work three years from now. Or contract work. Or consulting.
The opportunity to make income from work means evolving with the market place and work trends in order to maximize our ability to profit from a changing and expanding market.
Ability Security
What matters in income growth is ability security. There are no more "secure" jobs. Only secure abilities. The skills and adaptability to earn money for our employers combined with personal branding and marketing guarantees us the security of moving to greener pastures constantly.
I hope you had fun with the traditional Labor Day festivities yesterday. An extra day off, maybe a fun activity with family and friends.
However, the historical basis of Labor Day has changed forever. Start planning your own Marketing Me! Day instead!
Happy hunting!
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Tuesday
Friday
Marketing Me! The signs of a bad company
Working for the wrong company can spell disaster for your career. Besides, it is frustrating and stressful being at the wrong place anytime.
Besides the eternal signs (finances, layoffs, etc.) there are some other signs of a bad company.
High turnover - Does the HR office have a revolving door? If the average tenure of the employees is six months or less, it might be wise to look elsewhere.
Dirty offices or a bad neighborhood - An banker once told me before he gave a business a loan he made an on site visit to their offices. One of the first places he checked during his inspection was the employee restrooms. If they were messy or covered in graffiti, he could safely say the employees had little respect for the company. Not a good sign.
Who runs the company? Generally, successful companies are most product of the products and services they produce. These companies have innovative product developers, knowledgeable sales persons, exciting marketing and caring customer support people.
If a company is run by "line people" who only care about time on the clock, benefits and grievances, you most likely have a stagnant, unhappy place of business.
How empty are the halls? I find good companies have a bustling and energetic staff. Company offices which resemble ghost towns during normal business hours are possibly a sign of tardiness, absenteeism, high turnover or illness. Avoid these depressing places.
Office space - Is the office open, bright and positive? Or is it a warren of dark corridors, closed office doors and bland interiors. Would you want to work there?
Lack of eye contact - Bad companies are run by untrustworthy people. If anyone in the interview process has a hard time making eye contact, it might a sign they are trying to hide something about the company. I would keep my eyes on the front door!
Bad companies eventually fail. Don't be on the losing team! Be aware of obvious and sometimes not so obvious signs of the bad company.
Happy hunting!
Blogroll Me!
Besides the eternal signs (finances, layoffs, etc.) there are some other signs of a bad company.
High turnover - Does the HR office have a revolving door? If the average tenure of the employees is six months or less, it might be wise to look elsewhere.
Dirty offices or a bad neighborhood - An banker once told me before he gave a business a loan he made an on site visit to their offices. One of the first places he checked during his inspection was the employee restrooms. If they were messy or covered in graffiti, he could safely say the employees had little respect for the company. Not a good sign.
Who runs the company? Generally, successful companies are most product of the products and services they produce. These companies have innovative product developers, knowledgeable sales persons, exciting marketing and caring customer support people.
If a company is run by "line people" who only care about time on the clock, benefits and grievances, you most likely have a stagnant, unhappy place of business.
How empty are the halls? I find good companies have a bustling and energetic staff. Company offices which resemble ghost towns during normal business hours are possibly a sign of tardiness, absenteeism, high turnover or illness. Avoid these depressing places.
Office space - Is the office open, bright and positive? Or is it a warren of dark corridors, closed office doors and bland interiors. Would you want to work there?
Lack of eye contact - Bad companies are run by untrustworthy people. If anyone in the interview process has a hard time making eye contact, it might a sign they are trying to hide something about the company. I would keep my eyes on the front door!
Bad companies eventually fail. Don't be on the losing team! Be aware of obvious and sometimes not so obvious signs of the bad company.
Happy hunting!
Blogroll Me!
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