Having worked for mostly large companies in a variety of tasks, it is not uncommon that I hear a mid-level or upper manager spout the dreaded words, “You’re lucky to have a job”. Even before the economy turned south, this was the Sword of Dionysus hanging over your working man Damocles whenever a worker had a concern or complaint regarding their working conditions or company policy. While I can see the point of being thankful for a job in our weakened economy, is this response actually beneficial for a business?
Having worked for, and currently working for, a Fortune 500 company, I was not always fortunate enough to be in a position with creativity and input. Like many people, I started in a relatively low position before being given the opportunity to grow beyond. At times when performance did not meet expectation, or when it seemed that the collective had strayed from a shared value or goal, you might hear these same intonations buried in veiled threats or sideways worded improvement plans. But in the same breath that a manager might denegrate his own staff, he is speaking to those he is accountable to about their accomplishment and skill.
In the end, the phrase “Lucky to have a job” really means one thing to a business: We are not employing those who would best serve our market/customer/tasks. It means that the business believes that it has settled, or is willing to allow it’s employees to believe this, which sets an expectation of failure. A business should strive to hire the best that it can for the resources it has available, giving it the tools that it needs to succeed while ensuring that low-hanging fruit is not dragging down those efforts. To address the masses with the idea that they are lucky to be employed is to admit that you have settled for less than what your business deserves.
If you, as a manager or business, believe that this is the case, then it is probably in your best interest to review your hiring policies and requirements. If you truly believe that you have done a sufficient job of filling the seats with the best for your money, then remember that is not only they who are lucky to have a job, but you who are lucky to have them in the first place.
July 30th, 2009 | Business
The most talented employees move on to greener pastures. The rest stay under the radar, put just enough effort into their work to make it passable, dream of retirement and remind themselves they’re “lucky to have a job.” They may be quite capable, but they’ve learned from their lazier higher-ups not to rock the boat with fancy suggestions, so the entire business remains in a rut.
Comment by SteveCraig — September 3, 2009 @ 7:47 pm