Do you think people are happy in their jobs or just happy they have jobs?
Are companies seeing an influx in Rotten Apple Syndrome?
I’ve heard from handfuls of ‘rotten apples’ who say they are just happy to have jobs. This is so disheartening, especially when I was lucky enough to find a great career during the worst of our economic times.
We all know how contagious Rotten Apple Syndrome can be. During times like these, it is even more challenging for leadership to keep employees pushing forward and keeping them engaged. It’s hard for employees to stay positive when they are working longer hours to cover for the people who were downsized, they may be dealing with their own financial issues, which can of course strain the home life so it’s important to have empathy and compassion for your employees. Show them you care, you appreciate and that you believe in them. If you don’t, who will?
If you are getting frustrated with work yourself, it is going to show to your team and the people who depend on you. You could be the bad seed that spreads rotten apples.
Will you be a rotten apple or a fresh peach? Positive attitudes can be just as contagious.
I am happily employed – I work for the best department in any company around. I’ve been here for about a year and a half and can honestly say I love my job. Being happily employeed does not exclude me though from being happy to be employed. I work for Sodexo’s Talent Acquisition Team and I am in a unique position to be in touch with past, present and future Sodexo employees every day through our several social networking sites. I hear stories of people who have either been layed off or are in fear of losing their jobs. Many of these people are good at what they do and are being hit hard with the job market conditions. It feels good to be able to connect them with our recruiters who are waiting to help the “fresh peaches” out there with an opportunity here.