Job Markets are they Fair?

The economy is bad, jobs are scarce turning the job market into an employers world of feast. The employer now has the upper hand with mounds of applicants to choose from. I have noticed some things that are now transpiring.

Wages are coming down. Yes,for a fact one of the facilities I worked for as a manager and knew what the initial hiring rates were I have seen the job advertised at a lower starting salary. Older employees are being let go while the retention rate of younger mid term employees are being kept while young new hires are being brought in at a lesser rate of pay. Employers are sitting on resumes and positions sifting through picking the cream of the crop. They want it all! Youth, experience, education, motivation, and dedication. I refer to this as the Stepford Employee. Have you ever really noticed some of the biggest corporations immediate managers? Talk about mania, damn I almost wanted to offer one a Valium (not that I use Valium-but he needed it).
If you are a young 18-26 built, attractive young female than you probably have the best chance of getting your resume at the top of the pile. I can just envision a cartoon with a big fat pig sitting at the head of a corporate desk surrounded by fellow cronies smoking imported cigars and sipping cognac. Squealing at the delight of others misfortune while they sift through the mounds of potentials waiting to grind the corn.Below a dungeon of chained workers bound by heaping credit card bills and high mortgages sweating in the stye of conditions that never get reported bound by fear.

What is missing here? Sincerity, pleasantry, being truly genuine, a combination of traits that makes us human.

What happened to the days of valued employees that retired with the gold watch, pensions (that were actually there), and 25-30 years of appreciated loyal service with dignity and high regard for the company that you worked for. There used to be a sense of pride when someone spoke about GE, General Motors, the State of, Bell Atlantic, and the railroads. Now after several years of employment and a large part of your life that you have dedicated to the job is in jeopardy. How can this be? Very simple hard fact. Sorry Bud, but you have grown older and cost us too much money. You can be replaced by someone stronger, younger, and cheaper. P.S We hope you invested your money wisely. Don't take offense this is just part of company restructuring.

Now from my past experiences I can tell you the market in some areas is not fair and bias. On the level that most of you probably would not expect.

The thing I have encounter the most has been nepotism. This has affected the right people getting the job and the reason for other employees not getting the promotion first. Even when in black and white employee handbooks and human resource guidelines nepotism is rampant in the workforce. Husbands and wives working together, mother daughter/son, and siblings. What comes out of this is preferential treatment and low employee morale. I have been witness to scheduling liberties, actual permitted and accepted low work performance, wrongful promotions and awards, and unexplained and accepted tardiness. We are not talking about small companies either. We are talking about the State of Maryland, a large 14 facility senior retirement home specialist, and another large senior institution. Now mind you these are facilities that are not private owned businesses. These employers are suppose to have all of their guidelines t's crossed and i's dotted. NOT!

I was once an idealistic person that thought the workplace was one that if a person worked hard, did their job, followed the rules, was enthusiastic and motivated they would succeed and prosper with the company they worked for. Well throughout the years the layers of that young naive woman have been shed only to find that only some of that is true if you are willing to turn the other cheek and overlook the other atrocities that go on. Problem with that is I was born a Libra. Oh my how the scales of justice weigh for true Libras. It is true that balance is important, justice must prevail in life, along with fairness in the job market.