I'm sorry to hear you are struggling with your job search. Given what you are experiencing it's completely understandable that you are frustrated and confused about what the heck is actually going on in the job market!
I'll share from my perspective as a small business employer and based on what I see happening with many other small business clients we work with to share some perspective on what has happened/happening with at least some small businesses:
In my case, when COVID happened we faced huge losses.
We got some funding but not most – for second round COVID funding you needed to demonstrate 30% revenue losses in 2020 where my company had 27% losses in 2020 but due to our billing cycle most of the losses hit us in 2021 where we had 60% losses coming into 2021 – but we didn’t qualify for any funding because the losses had to show up in 2020.
I kept everyone employed despite my business taking big losses – which means that our household personally took the biggest hits – I kept paying everyone else but not myself as the employer.
While our revenue was down dramatically, we couldn’t have people go on unemployment because there wouldn’t be workers to help rebuild the business/client load. And we wanted to invest in our staff and keep them on board through the challenging time of COVID.
Our goal was to unite everyone as a team and be supportive at a human level and business level.
So we kept our 8 staff fully employed – but then when the world started “opening back up” in spring of 2021, and a bunch of companies who had previously laid people off, came back full force in their aggressive recruitment efforts, 5 of our 8 staff all left within 2 months of each other, and all with 2 weeks or less notice. it was a huge blow to my business on many levels (financially, emotionally, operationally). From the human perspective, it was so intense and devastating for me as the employer.
From a logistical financial position to showcase now what happened:
My business was already down huge amounts of operational money from the losses we experienced in COVID and lack of PPP funding to help us through a challenging time.
We kept everyone employed at above market wages.
Coming into 2020 we had been on pace to improve our benefits package.
But then, we lost loads of money from COVID.
Then in 2021 we were hoping to turn things around – and then 5 of our 8 staff left without much notice.
Then we lost even more substantial revenue because we didn’t have the skill/appropriate trained staff on hand to manage accounts – so we lost a lot of business in 2021 due to our staff leaving – and due to the time it’s taking to try to turn around and re-hire and re-train.
So now we are trying to hire and rebuild and here’s the reality I’m faced with as an employer:
• It’s like “starting over,” as a startup business—we need staff to do the work and nurture the leads and opportunities we have – but we don’t have the money in house sitting here to pay people as much as we’d like to pay
• When I hire people, it takes on average 7-9 months for the business to profit from that staff, because there are high costs of salary, taxes, benefits, etc., because we aim to have a nurturing environment that gives people time to onboard/learn and grow, and we don’t have a full load of clients sitting here ready for that new hire to manage – it’s a chicken and egg scenario– we need the staff so the business can grow – but it takes time for staff to learn and to help the business get to a point of profitability
• The dilemma is that of the last 5 people we hired, 4 of them left without even staying a full year, so my business lost money by having those staff in place, therefore we weren’t able to turn around and reinvest money in offering raises/better benefits to the next folks that we’d like to hire
Basically, when people jump ship so fast and without notice, it’s a vicious cycle that actually hurts all employees. It’s a ripple effect.
There’s a huge cost to employers in hiring/re-training, etc. a huge cost in business that is lost during that time of turnover.
So now – money that I would rather pay to a new hire, I have lost due to the rapid turnover.
Tons of revenue is lost because people jumped ship without giving us time to re-fill their position, and for them to help train their replacement so we’d have a smoother transition and be able to maintain keeping our clients on board through a transition.
While I understand that “2 weeks notice” may be standard, I think it’s important for workers to consider your values, and values alignment with your work place.
As a workplace, we’ve always had open dialogue and supported staff even if they were ready to transition to something else. We’ve helped past staff leave and get better jobs, go on to start a business, etc. it worked when we had more time to support the transition and refill their position.
So this last year with COVID – and then a majority of our staff jumping ship so fast (as happened at tons of companies) it’s left so many small businesses crippled with: lack of staff, lack of revenue, losing clients. it’s all happened to fast, with too many people at once, that it’s done more damage to where businesses can’t afford to re-hire people at those same wages that they were before.
Businesses need workers but small businesses can’t afford to pay more/offer better benefits because workers aren’t staying long enough for the business to even build steam and recoup the money it costs to hire/train that person and to even make money.
My personal advice:
• Bring your goals and strategy to an employer – let’s say they can’t pay you what you want now – strategize with them about what your growth can look like.
• Help your employer see how you are going to help them – the right employer is hungry to invest in it’s workers – but there are a lot of employers like me who just cannot afford to invest in another person who is going to leave in a year and without notice. Be open, transparent, authentic. Bring your needs and desires to the table, but also look through the lens as the employer – what are their needs? When they win you win – so how can you win-win together?
• Find an employer who values your longevity. Find somewhere you’re willing to stay longer – I predict that people who are willing to STAY on with companies can earn more and move up quicker in management
• Too many people advocate for jumping ship to advance your career – but because so many people now did that, I believe that swings have swung the other way – and if you are willing to stay – or go take a job where you see yourself staying, as long as you are aligned with your employer on that vision, you have the potential to quantum leap your growth and success so much more
On a sort of separate note:
My personal perspective has never been to "get labor as cheap as you can and profit off them as much as you can." Most of the small business clients we work with have the same views as my company - so it's disheartening to see so many responses on this thread/in other posts on this forum that often make comments that employers just care about the bottom line or to make as much money as they can and without concern for staff burnout.
We've worked with over 300 small businesses, mostly in the US but some in other countries and that's not what I've seen with most of those clients.
I've witnessed business owners who are constantly striving to find a balance of putting employees needs first while achieving business objectives that are necessary to keep the business afloat.
Sadly, most business owners I see are earning too little for the stress and risk they are carrying.
Anyone reading this who has the belief that employers are the enemy or just want cheap labor/don't care about employees, I encourage you to consider seeing through both lenses: as the employer and the employee. Keep having conversations with employers - if you haven't explored working with a small business, you may like to consider that. Often small business employers are more flexible, will be more transparent and honest. So while you may not feel as “secure” in your job as a corporate job, what I’ve found is that you will get honesty in a small business setting. Often the corporate “security” can be a false sense of security anyway.
Go find a gritty determined small business owner – show you are willing to invest in the work and they will invest in you in return.
Often in a small business you work directly in the trenches with the owner(s) and you will see and feel firsthand that they do care about you. That they are walking the walk.
You might find that while you aren’t earning as much as you want out of the gate that you do have potential for growth.
And you might feel more personal fulfillment knowing that you aren’t working for a corporate cog that is “just profiting off you without regard for your humanity.”
Wishing everyone the best of luck in finding a satisfying career that aligns your values, priorities and desired path!
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