“Better to know the quick pain of truth than the ongoing pain of a long-held false hope.” – TRUDI CANAVAN
The recruitment process starts with the initial sourcing of candidates, internal or external. To successfully source internally, a robust employee development & career pathing program is a prerequisite while external sourcing could be through a great number of digital platforms, referrals &/or walk in candidates.
It is in the recruitment & hiring process where hopes are built & expectations are nurtured for both the potential employees & prospective employers. Let us face it, when companies recruit or hire, they engage in a promotion blitz to fill their talent perceived needs to ensure getting its desired results. Employees meanwhile want to work in organizations or in a job/position that can make their life long dreams a reality.
Admittedly, sometimes, in the desire to get a stranglehold of the best talent in the market, the recruitment effort may be overselling the company, the role & the perks that come along. Because one has to compete, during interviews, candidates might (though not all) be given a glowing description of an impeccable work culture, career opportunities & path, an ultra-attractive compensation/benefits package plus guarantees and sometimes. And to those that it matters most, the kicker is – work-life balance.
When recruiting talent, quite powerful for job hopefuls is the positive feeling that is generated during interviews. An amiable recruiter or recruitment team helps create the desire to go for favorable things that might happen career wise & personal situation, if hired. Recently, an invite to visit the company for a tour, complemented by freebies adds to the story. In most cases, applicants/candiates, specially first timers, are swayed & may enter the process with overly optimistic expectation about salary, job responsibilities, career development & work culture.
Unfortunately, false hopes &/or unrealistic expectations start to take shape during this process. Unwittingly, both the employee and the employer may fall prey to grandiose credentials or storylines. If not handled well, it can be catastrophic. It can be the root of all conflicts & distrust between both. At the onset this could manifest at a very minute scale but more often than not, at later stages, when the initial honeymoon subsides, it can prop up at a bigger scale if the real score is unaddressed.
Because false hopes tend to fog out the glaring gap between what’s promised when candidates join the workforce, a dream job can be a reality, remain just a dream or a nightmare.
I personally saw many candidates, who had a bevy of job offers & far greater better employment opportunities, pass up better companies out of curiosity or mystic.
Case in point would be Japanese companies. Known for their acumen on discipline, hard work & efficiency, they remain to be among the top destination of choice during job fairs. Working for a Japanese company is related to things that are “high-tech” & disciplined efficiency. In some instances, the allure of being part of a distinct practice can also sway your choice of employer. I can vividly remember an applicant the curiosity on unique practice or culture, was the primary consideration, after all other aspects of the job were equal.
When asked why the applicant was interested in joining the organization, the applicant retorted, that “it has always been intriguing for me why Japanese companies require removing outside shoes or the use of shoe covers in exchange of designated company footwear”. Though awed by this uncanny remark, as I expected, this employee did not stay long simply because the sooner the mystery unraveled (no mystery actually) in an unpleasant manner the less attractive the job became. I guess it was not odorless to say the least.
In other instances, associated with western companies (North American or European) is the laid-back, stress free and generally a respectful workplace. These all combined make an attractive proposition for applicants specially the younger generation. Professionals who want a change of pace, a better work environment & generally a “happy place” have been flocking to such companies.
Or those that would like to explore new work schemes & arrangements have seen a shift in work schemes, schedule & industry. The BPO industry so far has won over a lot of experienced employees & fresh graduates to the detriment of the services & manufacturing industries.
Oftentimes joiners do have high expectations on career growth, above industry compensation, and work culture, while employers anticipate unwavering commitment, productivity, and loyalty from their workers.
The sad part is one of the false hopes of employees is the belief that hard work alone will guarantee promotions or expect employers to recognize workers value always. It does not work that way in so many instances.
Reality often presents a different picture. The very supportive and caring supervisor just turned into a daily tormentor or the line leader who gave an inspiring speech day 1 welcome speech morphed into a monster.
Heard whispers of so called “no discrimination or equal opportunity employers” actually being had littered with racism or biases. As an organization it might not be the general direction but practice could be totally different on the ground.
Landing a job that has mesmerized you does not necessarily guarantee a great career or future, even if one is resilient, extra motivated and a believer that no challenge cannot be overcome. A fruitful job & career require great timing & an almost perfect situation.
Companies also tend prioritize efficiency over individual career growth. Roles can be merged or responsibilities expanded, all in the name of flexibility thus it is not uncommon to hear employees feel “overworked…underpaid”.
For some employees, immediate promotion and fast career growth is often pictured by starry eyed new graduates specially those coming from ivy league schools or those that had garnered honors. In reality, career advancement often depends on performance, tenure, organizational structure & business situation. Social media had something to do with the unrealistic expectation of getting an immediately competitive salary and benefits. Unlike in the NBA, where no. 1 pick is offered an overly generous contract even if you are yet to prove your mettle in an actual game in the professional league.
Realistically, promotions are very competitive if not far in between. Salaries may not truly meet industry ranges worst are barely survivable range. I can say that crafting a competitive compensation package is a very delicate HR science. Aligning with industry standards or the individual’s expectations is totally off the rack because many factors need to be considered like cost impact, affordability & sustainability. Even the best compensation package can be unattractive.
To assume that companies will look harder at an employee’s professional development opportunities over productivity is in most cases unrealistic. Trainings have cost & are looked at as lost man days. More often than not employees are simply expected to learn on the job, under the watchful eyes of mentors or at times on their own, aesthetically coined as “fast learner or self learner”.
In the same manner, companies must not be expecting new hires or transferees to instantly be productive and be highly skilled at the get go. Quality of output can turn out bad while output can be slow. Training, specifically technical skills take time before employees reach full efficiency.
In this day & age, employees somehow often develop false hopes that employers will prioritize their well-being over business goals. If the company is doing well, yes that could be the case. While many companies strive to create positive work environment, if push comes to shove, the primary focus remains profitability and sustainability; not exactly one’s mental health because how to keep afloat is in itself a mental torment on the side of management.
For employers to have high expectations of their employees & assume that who they have hired will be totally committed to the company’s mission, readily adapting to changing situation and no matter what remains focused on the job. Expecting employees to be constantly enthusiastic and passionate about their jobs to the point of disregarding personal challenges and changing priorities is not tenable.
Knowing that when there is economic downturn or challenging profitability situation, restructuring will most likely take place & the first to suffer in such scenario will be the employees. There will be diminished overtime periods, lesser trainings & learning opportunities, sometimes, downsizing can be an option often not reluctantly taken all in the name of survival. With that being said, employers must not assume that their workers will remain with the company long-term if they could only offer limited growth opportunities or inadequate professional or personal benefits.
For Employers to expect employees to stay loyal and committed long-term is now a farfetched reality given the many opportunities and marketable skills that this generation has to show & offer. High turnover rate is quite common because these generation’s demeanor is the need to feel constantly fulfilled or satisfied.
When employees leave due to better offers or dissatisfaction, some employers or supervisors feel betrayed, failing to recognize their own role in not meeting employees’ reasonable expectations or being an integral part in giving false hopes or unrealistic expectations.
To minimize false hopes & unrealistic expectations, both parties must ensure transparency and level off expectations even during recruitment. Recruiters should provide honest insights into current company challenges, workload, and growth potential. Job seekers should also research, ask questions, clarify what is unclear and align their career goals with the opportunities presented.
At the workplace, In any workplace, the relationship between employees and employers should be built on mutual trust & honest feedback. If expectations turn out to be false & unrealistic, recalibrating can help prevent disappointment and frustration on both sides.
A meritocratic work culture is always a better proposition. The correct parameters for excellent performance must be set so that if things do not turn out as designed, both the employee & employer will be confident enough to do the next best thing, not join, leave or disengage.
In the end, everything must be grounded. Employees & employers alike must understand that success in the workplace is built on fairness, collaboration & transparency —not on false hopes and unrealistic expectations.
GOOD MORNING HARDWORKING PEOPLE!
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