Earlier this year, a friend of mine was unceremoniously fired from her corporate job.
She had been a really good employee– a star performer as far as I could tell. But, corporate restructuring had other ideas. So, she was walked out the door.
I’ve seen this movie before. Many times. And, it always sucks. But, it also got me thinking: Why are we so loyal to these corporate employers that show the smallest amount of loyalty to us?
I’m not saying this in a judgmental way–more in a curious way.
Think about the natural job progression.
You get that new job after months of looking and searching. It feels great! And, you’re excited about the company and its vision and what it stands for. You’re all in! You’re drinking the Kool-Aid, as they say.
Then, after about a couple years, you start to get a little bored. You start sniffing around. At the same time, a new CMO is brought on board. Whispers of “restructuring” are swirling. You start to get a little nervous, but not really.
Then, your boss calls you into her office on an typical Wed. afternoon. With an HR rep. You know what’s coming.
They don’t even tell you why you’re being “let go.” Just some mentions of “restructuring” (that dirty word again). And, they walk you out the door.
Just like that, you’re out of a job.
That’s the job world we sign up for. I guess it’s the only one we have, but man, it really sucks sometimes.
So, back to the original question: Why are we so loyal to these companies who clearly are not loyal to us?
Because working for a big, well-known company is still pretty fun.
You have more resources (i.e., bigger budgets).
You get to work on interesting and fun campaigns.
You get to go to big professional development conferences.
When people ask “What do you do?”, you say I work for a large, internationally-known company!
There’s lots of reasons. And, apparently they’re worth the trade-off because we keep signing up for it.
It’s a tough spot. Because, on one hand, you want to be excited for that new job. You want to be “all in” and work for a company where you feel like you’re making a difference. Where you’re spending 8-12 hours of each day. That has to be fun and rewarding–otherwise, why are you doing it?
On the other hand, in the back of your mind, you know if push comes to shove, you’re probably out of the door. No one is immune. Corporate life is all about the bottom line and if you’re standing in the way of the company making a little more money, you’re out on your butt.
So again, I’m not here to judge today. I’m just frustrated with the situation. We pour our heart and souls into these companies and we’re rewarded with the little to no loyalty.
That’s the reality we live in. I guess we just have to suck it up and deal with it.