Corporate Chronicles: The science of tenure

So i heard the big boss says "I'm not impressed with the CVs/resumes I am getting. Kids hop from one job to another." Yes, recruiters already terms these employees as "hoppers" and they are not attractive to potential employers. But allow me to digest this issue...

I had a chance to transfer from one company to another after only a year of service... twice! So perhaps I'm on the brink of becoming a "hopper." I had my reasons and I won't divulge it because if I do, it would sound like I'm whining. I don't want to turn this into a grievance outlet. Anyway, employees have various reasons why they 'hop' - extremely rigid company policy, problems with the bosses (overbearing, credit grabber, incompetent etc), extremely low salary, and others.  Yes, there are those that look for a lot of things in the company. I can assure everyone that there's no perfect company but there's a company that's fit for you. You just have to find the one that you really want to belong to because if you like the company you are working for then you will strive hard to be in that company. You can't complain with just about everything. If you do, then there's a deeper concern that needs to be addressed.


Now, there are people who really stay long in a company. They have various reasons too. Some are contented which is good. It's a good indication for the company that they are doing great to retain their employees. Some are just easily contented or indifferent, so long as they have monthly pay. This is dangerous, a company could not just keep people who merely take in whatever. These type of employees would not be able to contribute to the success of the company. You also need people who challenge status quo because there's always room for improvement. Some stay because they simply got nowhere to go. Now, this is even  more dangerous. The company is housing incompetent or stagnant people!

In the end, both the employers and employees have the same amount of responsibilities. For the employees - they have to know what they really want and which company you really want to belong to (not because you don't have a choice). You can't work for money alone (although some people say otherwise). Otherwise,  you will never be happy and contented. Once you are in a company, do your best to contribute to its success. You are paid for to do a job, not to loiter. You also have to care. You don't want to be a machine. You go by procedures. You are smarter and more capable than that. When you care, you are happy with the results... You and your boss will both be happy. When there's something you are dissatisfied of, say it! You can't be mum about it then one day leave because you're not happy... You can't change things if you don't  let people know there's something wrong...

For the companies/employers - your people are your best assets! It should not be a mere core value posted in your walls. You should live it because your people are indeed your best assets. They work their a**es and bend their backs for you. Without them, there's no company. The engine would go running. You have to care for them! You can't just yell and say "you can't be too sensitive. it's just work." Some people are just sensitive, what can we do? You also can't keep only the people  you 'like.' You need a balance. There should be 'yes' people and 'no' people. When you have the balance, there's more chances of success. You don't want to judge employees by what their resumes merely say. There's more into an employee than what the resume says. Sometimes, you have good hires, sometimes, you don't.


Short or long tenure, in the end, its all about relationships. Never say that it's just work. Our co-workers are our second families. In fact, we spent more hours at work than at home so you have to treat each other with care...