The new employment
In today’s labour market, employment no longer means a full-time job
Employment? This used to mean having a full-time secure job where you knew the pay cheque was coming home every two weeks, and your biggest challenge was how to maintain your lifestyle within that boundary.
Times have a changed. All over the world and specifically as we experience in Canada, this is no longer the rule of the land.
Employment has taken on shades of various colours and while it has been difficult to adjust to it, people have now started accepting this as a fact.
Here are some of the options for employment that exist and more and more employers are making use of these options:
Working from home
Large organizations like IBM have saved thousands of dollars by redeploying much of their work force to work from home. No more posh offices, no more people hours wasted in commuting on the Go Train and the TTC. Even moving the office to Markham was not enough. Its human resources department had a game plan wherein it helped employees transition from a “going to office to work” scenario to a “staying at home and work” scenario.
It takes discipline and dedication to ensure that your productivity does not suffer. No toddling to your laptop at 10 a.m. in your pyjamas. No answering the doorbell for a passing salesman. The discipline is clear: get dressed and go to work in your own home office. Imagine you have left for the office; no one will answer the door for that pesky salesman.
Contractual agreement
Many companies now once bitten twice shy are not hiring employees, but rather taking people on contract. No need to pay employee benefits and carry the expense once the project is done. If required, the contract is renewed for a new term; if not, cocktails in the evening and a fond farewell.
I know many friends who have actually preferred to go contractual as it does not bind them to one employer and they usually have signed contracts with several thus working at their own hours and being their own boss. This requires a high degree of confidence which the youth of Canada has. And also gives you time to pursue other hobbies. A girl I know wanted to take up skydiving but never had time till she went on contract. Now she works four days a week and takes skydiving classes every Wednesday. And contractual work has additional tax benefits that people make use of.
Part-time employment
While never ideal, many people are accepting this as a part of life in today’s recession. At least a part-time job is better than no job. They have learned to cut down on expenses and strive to make ends meet on their part-time salary. Some people have decided to use the spare time to take up a second education and get that degree they never bothered about when younger. Some with family commitments have decided to take up more than one part-time job and hurriedly commute between the two. I do not advocate this as it will only result in burnout and poor productivity for both employers. But then at times like this, what can you say.
Survival jobs
This is where you hear about doctors driving cabs or engineers working in call centres. Usually a last option, but a reality situation with new immigrants and those who do not qualify for employment insurance. Call centres, security guards, loaders, factory workers, cleaners and such jobs are known as “survival jobs” when being performed by those overqualified.
These are all today’s reality in the job market. They will stay for some time to come and therefore, whether you have one kind or the other, remember it comes with the times and we must work with it rather than against it.
No comments:
Post a Comment