You are reading the FRACAT Blog Archive (also known as "FRACAT 1.0") for all posts prior to October 29th, 2007.
Are You An Asset or An Investment?
So, I was over at some boring recruiter-oriented site when I came across a great article titled Employees Are Not Assets.
While it’s written from an employer’s standpoint, I thought it had a great message for employees as well:
One of our problems is that we think of employees as assets, or things we control and dispose of as we see fit. Unfortunately, this characterization leads to behaviors that are incompatible with reality. Employees cannot be owned, taxed, depreciated, or disposed of as machines or other tangible assets.
They are investors in our organizations and they freely choose to share their expertise and skills with us or not. Each employee has a built-in return on investment meter that is constantly sampling the atmosphere and deciding if she is gaining or losing from a continuing association with the firm. As long as employees feel they are gaining, they don’t look for different jobs.
But in this job market, whenever the balance shifts even slightly, employees become vulnerable to any offer that may present itself. That is why having managers who have a history of good employee loyalty and low turnover are so valuable.
This leads to questions that we should all ask ourselves:
- What Does My Company Think I Am? - If you’re something to be owned and controlled, you may want to start looking elsewhere. Frankly, this is why I’m still and independent recruiter and not working for an agency.
- Do I Provide a Good Return On Investment To My Company? - Obviously this is the other side of the coin. Are you providing more value than it costs the company to pay you, manage you, and give you benefits? Think carefully before answering.
- As a Manager, What is My Turnover Rate? - If you’re managing people anywhere, what does your turnover look like? Don’t tell me, “the same as the rest of the industry” because that means that you’re no better than anyone else in the industry (and completely replaceable). The “manager experience” is a huge reason why employees stay or leave. What experience are you providing?
Enjoy the Search!
Dan
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Daniel R. Sweet
Chief Cook-And-Bottle-Washer / Technical Recruiter
FRACAT.com - Free Resume and Career Toolbox
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielrsweet
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Photo by: Clinton Steeds
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October 17th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Asset vs. investment? Nice topic! Think about it this way: The organization invests in you to help deliver results. But at the same time, you’re investing in the organization to help you boost your worth in the workplace. Think of the baseball player who comes out of the minor leagues to play a key role on a major league team, probably in a small market with a limited player salaries budget. Three years later, that same team promotes another, more skilled – and cheaper - minor leaguer to play the same position. The guy he replaces becomes expendable, and when he becomes a free agent, the team allows him to go, no hard feelings. So he signs a contract with another team with a bigger budget, and at a higher salary. Why? Because he has the proven track record, can fill a key role, and may even serve as a mentor to a younger player. The issue here is that, as a worker, you need to know your worth to the organization and be aware of how you stand with management. Whether you want more money, responsibility, or work-life balance, conduct a periodic audit of whether the organization is delivering a decent return on what you’re investing in. If not, it may be time to tune up your resume and look elsewhere.