Getting your player ready...
Dear J.T. & Dale: I have been out of the “working world” for several years, kind of in semi-retirement after 25 years at the same hospital. Now I’m interested in a seasonal job. So many things have changed with the application process! I had to apply online, send my resumé online and take a personality test online. I then had a phone interview, after which I was welcomed as an employee and told that forms would be emailed to me. These forms needed personal identification, W-2, etc., to be faxed back. While this is a reputable company, I expressed my hesitation about faxing this info. They assured me they had security measures. Is this typical of how companies process their employees nowadays? – Kathy
J.T.: Welcome to the world of electronic recruiting! As a former HR professional, I understand why companies wanted to automate recruiting and how they started with the best of intentions. Unfortunately, something got lost in the transition: common sense. In an effort to make the process more efficient, we’ve ended up with a mess. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for technology, but at some point you have to realize that human interaction is necessary.
DALE: Hold on. Think about the human interaction of hiring. The fact is that most hiring managers are not very good at judging potential employees, partly because applicants put on interview personas. I warn managers that the person you interview is never the person you hire. So, while we lost some human interaction, we also lost biases and quirks on both sides of the interview desk. If nothing else, Kathy, thanks to online processing, you didn’t have to make multiple trips to the company for interviews.
J.T.: However, the wisest managers understand “chemistry” and work to keep the human element in hiring. As for your other concern, Kathy, about sending in personal information, I don’t see that as a special danger.
DALE: Maybe there’s a small danger of the fax signal being compromised, but let go of that fear. In fact, let go of reminiscing. If you live in the past, that’s just where your best career days will remain.
Dear J.T. & Dale: A co-worker literally spends the majority of her day playing computer games or texting her husband. Another co-worker has been taking care of the first co-worker’s clients for years. The employee who does not do much work also is president of the local union and is something of a bully. Management is aware that she lacks a work ethic, but does nothing. In the meantime, the employee who does more than her share of the work is very tired and wonders if she has any rights. – April
DALE: Rights? It’s not that kind of economy. Sure, there are a few general legal protections, but those rarely are relevant in personal workplace disputes. Perhaps there’s some union hierarchy to call upon, but I doubt you’d be writing us if that were a realistic option. So instead of thinking about rights, let’s think about options.
J.T.: For simplicity, let’s assume that the hardworking but weary co-worker is you, April. Why won’t management do something about your co-worker? Perhaps they feel it’s preferable to keep her in her union position. Could it be that she sides with them in exchange for her cushy job? I don’t know. What I do know is that if a company is aware of an employee issue and hasn’t taken action, it never will. Yes, you could start complaining, but that is unlikely to succeed. If the excessive work is taking a physical toll, then I think you need to look for a different job. When employees are miserable, their performance suffers, and they usually end up getting fired for poor performance. Don’t let that happen. Either make peace with the situation or move on.
