Career Journal: The Employee Strikes Back --- Disillusioned Workers Bail On Employers, Hold Two Jobs At Once to Hedge Their Bets
MEMO TO EMPLOYERS: Guess who's starting to call the shots again?</br></br>As the economy shows signs of a nascent recovery, some job seekers are taking an increasingly bold -- and sometimes manipulative -- approach to finding work. Disillusioned by the sweeping layoffs and corporate penny-pinching of the past 18 months, they are employing tactics typically reserved for more robust times, such as accepting two job offers at once and then playing one prospective employer off against the other. Some keep searching for jobs after starting a new post and then jump ship when they find something better. Others, meantime, are holding two good positions at one time, a split of loyalties they hope might blunt the blow of future layoffs.</br></br>After 10 frustrating months of unemployment, Sandra Gesburg accepted a sales representative job in early February at Advanced Toxicology Network, a Memphis, Tenn., laboratory that provides workplace drug testing. But just three weeks later, she was offered a better position and 25% salary increase from Professional Resources Screening Inc., a Concord, Calif., provider of pre-employment screening. Although the company had turned her down for a job once before, that was no matter -- 48-year-old Ms. Gesburg immediately took the post. "They made me an offer I couldn't refuse," she says matter-of-factly.</br></br>Stuart Bogema, Ms. Gesburg's old boss and ATN's chief executive, says he wasn't "too happy" with Ms. Gesburg's quick departure. "She hadn't even worked long enough for us to see if she was going to be an able employee or not," says Dr. Bogema. "When someone leaves after only a few weeks, that level of trust disappears."</br></br>The attitude shift among employees comes after months of turbulent times. Companies from Cisco and Lucent to WorldCom have slashed thousands of jobs since early 2001. Others have re-assigned employees at random, delayed start dates and forced job seekers to jump through all sorts of hoops before extending an offer. More recently, the scandals at Enron Corp. and Arthur Andersen, which have cost thousands their jobs and retirement savings, have intensified employee cynicism -- and validated their efforts to look after themselves.