Do You Have A Lifetime Employment Contract? - Part 2

We can all agree that having a single source of income (a.k.a. "one employer", "one client", or "one anything" for that matter!) is probably not the best way to mitigate the risk of unexpected unemployment. Furthermore, I highly doubt that anyone has a written lifetime employment contract. And if they do, how enforceable and reliable is it if the company goes bankrupt or gets bought out altogether? The same holds true for the self-employed who solely rely on a single client for their income. I doubt that any client will sign a contract to be the lifetime purchaser of your goods and services.

If you've followed my blogs then you know I am a proponent of the "do as the leading companies do" model. That means you need to manage your career like a company manages its business. Virtually all major companies have signed and legally enforceable contracts with their suppliers, vendors, and distributors. Can you imagine a grocery store owner having to lose sleep each night worrying whether the supplier of milk and eggs will deliver the goods the next day? Can you imagine an automobile manufacturer not having defined-length contracts with its parts suppliers? Companies are keen on having contracts with all the entities that affect their ability to generate income. If they won't risk their sources of income on the whims of those upon which they rely, then why do you?

In America, if you are an "at-will employee", then your source of income is at risk each and everyday. Are you comfortable living like that? You may say to yourself that you've been served well by this model of employment and have suffered no adverse effects thus far. But that's like a race car driver saying he's never crashed out of a race. Or a homeowner saying he's never been burglarized. The fact that it hasn't happened yet is no excuse for you not to be worried or take precautions. According to the legal definitions of at-will employment you'll see that the only employees who have protection from unexpected job loss are union members and company executives. If you're not one of them, you're one of the masses who goes to work each day like an automated drone blindly believing that your office space is actually yours.

A.  At-Will Defined
At-will means that an employer can terminate an employee at any time for any reason, except an illegal one, or for no reason without incurring legal liability.  Likewise, an employee is free to leave a job at any time for any or no reason with no adverse legal consequences.

At-will also means that an employer can change the terms of the employment relationship with no notice and no consequences.  For example, an employer can alter wages, terminate benefits, or reduce paid time off.  In its unadulterated form, the U.S. at-will rule leaves employees vulnerable to arbitrary and sudden dismissal, a limited or on-call work schedule depending on the employer’s needs, and unannounced cuts in pay and benefits.  

B.  Modification by Contract
The at-will presumption is a default rule that can be modified by contract.  For example, a contract may provide for a specific term of employment or allow termination for cause only.  Typically, U.S. companies negotiate individual employment agreements only with high-level employees.  Collective bargaining agreements usually provide that represented employees may only be terminated for cause.

Cause generally includes reasons such as poor employee performance, employee misconduct, or economic necessity.  An employment contract may specifically outline the situations or employee actions that would lead to termination for cause.

Who will you blame??!!

The job market is lousy! Or is it just your attitude that's lousy? I tend to focus on what the individual can do to alleviate his/her circumstances. Why? Because none of us can control external factors such as political upheaval, war, famine, bad weather, etc. So if you find yourself complaining each day about how lousy the job market is and how no companies will call you back, you are actually working against yourself!

I'll explain. You see, the problem is that we have all become a blame society. When something goes wrong in our lives (personal or professional) we seek to blame situations, circumstances, or people. While it is true, there are factors that affect our success in any given moment, focusing your energy on the blame game certainly won't help your cause. Why not reassess what is going wrong with your career search? Why not seek the advice of trusted companions? Why not take on the challenge to reinvent yourself and try something outside your comfort zone?

No, I guess that actually takes work! But wait a minute, are you not seeking "work"??!! How bad that would be if you are seeking work but you don't want to put in the "work" required to obtain work! That is not a good reflection upon you and most companies will not want that type of behavior within their ranks.

So once again I say, who will you blame? When times are bad and the seas are rough - who will you blame? When you don't get an interview after several weeks - who will you blame? When you continue to follow the same methods and same path with the same results - who will you blame?

Blame YOURSELF!! And then get off your butt and take action and do something to change your behavior and attitude. Ask your friends, family, former co-workers, etc., to give you a reality check and help you with your career search approach. This humility will take you a lot further and you may find that people are more willing to help you when they see that you recognize your career-limiting flaws.

It's so easy to blame others for our failures or lack of success. It takes virtually no energy!! You just point fingers and whisper under your breath and complain all day. Who would want to be around you if you're like that?? Certainly not the people who are making hiring decisions.