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In Economics 101 I learned the basic laws of supply and demand.
When the demand was high and the supply was low . . . prices
went up. From an employer’s perspective, I would say that lesson
accurately describes today’s job market.
The economy is great. Companies are growing. Corporate demand
for quality employees to feed that growth is high. But because
of low unemployment, the supply of quality job applicants is far
smaller than most companies have grown accustomed to. With
recruiting costs escalating, mistakes and wasteful use of human
resources are more obvious than ever.
Some of the best candidates for available positions in your
company could be right under your nose. Promoting from within is
relatively easy when you’re talking about top performers. But
what about those employees who just don’t seem to be getting it
done? You know . . . the ones you want to fire.
Just because a person was miscast for a job does not mean that
person is not capable of being a good employee. Simply put, a
liability in one context could be an asset in another. Are
employees being expected to perform work that doesn’t suit their
skills, attitudes, or personalities?
·First of all, companies who take the time to identify and
assess the strengths and weaknesses of their current employees
are wisely protecting themselves from costs associated with
unnecessary terminations and increased recruiting efforts.
·Secondly, when employees are performing in positions that best
suit their interests, skills, and personalities, they are less
likely to leave.
·Finally, properly cast employees tend to get more work
accomplished. When more work can be accomplished by fewer
people, pressure is reduced to find more people in a job market
in which top prospects are scarce.
Have you taken inventory of your human assets lately?
Copyright 2001, Mason Duchatschek
About the author:
Mason Duchatschek is the president of AMO-Employer Services,
Inc., in St. Louis, Missouri, and co-author of the book Sales
Utopia: How to Get the Right People, Doing the Right Things,
Enough Times. His phone number is 1-800-245-0445, and his
company’s website is www.amo-es.com.
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