Newspaper Page Text
OPINION
THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 - 16, 2018 • Page 5
Is workplace longevity a thing of the past?
About once a year, we go through
the process of replacing a staff
member and reviewing the hundreds
of resumes that are often received in
response to job openings. Each time I
go through this process, and scan the
resumes, it seems painfully obvious
that applicants are staying in positions
for shorter periods of time.
The position that we most
frequently have a need to fill is a
general assignment reporter. Based on
experience, I know a young reporter
is not likely to stay with our company
for longer than two years. I also expect
younger employees to complain more,
have more unexcused absences, spend
too much time with their personal
devices and in general to be more
problematic than mature employees.
In the early years of my career,
longevity was considered to be
extremely valuable as it demonstrated
one’s ability to stick to a commitment
as well as one's ability to work well
with others.
We regularly receive resumes from
John Hewitt
johnh@dekalbchamp.com
individuals who by all accounts are
qualified for the job and can meet
the professional requirements of the
position being applied for. However,
many applicants show multiple
periods of experience that are less
than one year with the same company.
In some cases, applicants will have
had three to four jobs in one year.
According to AccessPerks.com,
almost 25 percent of millennials have
worked for five different employers
and 25 percent of Millennials believe
that staying at a job for seven months
indicates they’re loyal.
I realize that occasionally, and
particularly with those who may be
fresh out of college, jobs are accepted
and then either the employee or
employer is unhappy, and the job
is simply not a good fit for either
party. However, when multiple jobs
in a short period of time appear on a
resume, it causes those in positions to
hire new employees to question the
applicant’s ability to commit.
A younger colleague, who has
multiple short-term jobs on his
resume, reminded me that the
younger generation isn’t as likely as
those of us from the baby boomer
era to stay in a position if they are
unhappy about any aspect of the job.
However, what I refer to as job
hopping speaks volumes about the
applicant to me, particularly if the
positions were held in geographically
differing locations. For someone to
relocate to a different city or town
and only months later be looking
for something else in a different
area sends the message that perhaps
adequate research was not done in
advance of accepting the position or
that the applicant simply has a difficult
time committing themselves to make
the best of a situation.
Based on my own professional
experience, I always gave my best
and if I felt unhappy or unmotivated,
I would discuss the situation with
management and ask for advice or
make suggestions as to how to make
the situation better for all involved.
Quitting was not an option. I recall
being told early in my career that any
period of employment less than five
years did not look good to potential
employers.
In my post-college life, I’ve worked
for five different companies. The least
amount of time in one place was two
years and I recall being concerned that
could permanently harm my ability to
find gainful employment. I’ve been in
my current position for 18 years. My
career average for staying in one place
is nine years; I’m rather proud of that.
It’s a good thing that I’ll be retiring
soon. Finding good help is becoming
more and more difficult.
Not so random acts of kindness
‘One Man's
Opinion 9
Bill Crane
bill.csicrane@gmail.com
“Kindness is a language
which the deaf can hear and
the blind can see,” Mark
Twain (Samuel Clemmons,
1835 -1910), author, humorist
and observer of the human
condition.
Having a child with special
needs certainly helped greatly
to reshape my world view,
but even prior to that, I had
long admired people who
regularly went out of their
way to be kind and helpful to
others, with those many little
things that make the difference
between having a good day and
a bad one.
Nearly two decades ago,
I sat in a hotel room in New
York City, watching radio
icon Don Imus interview my
then client AFFAC Chairman
and CEO Dan Amos before
we headed out on a financial
markets/quarterly earning
media tour. Amos was making
a significant donation to an
annual radio telethon that
Imus anchored, to benefit
his ranch summer camps for
medically fragile children.
Imus and his wife Deidre
hosted thousands of pre-teens
and teens over nearly three
decades, with a wild-west
experience, including on-site
medical cuse and all that a
kids’ summer camp might
offer. This gave me the seed of
a great idea.
Amos had recently made
another $5 million gift to
Children’s Healthcare of
Atlanta (CHOA) to expand
and enhance the research and
treatment capabilities of what
is now known as the AFFAC
Cancer and Blood Disorder
Services Center, at all three
main CHOA campuses across
metro Atlanta.
Amos was seeking a
way to broaden awareness
of CHOA’s good works, as
well as impact the cure rates
for various deadly pediatric
cancers. In our family, first
cousin Shaye Sauers had been
battling brain cancer for years,
and is now among the longest
term survivors of those halls
at CHOA. Shaye is now a
young married woman, living
in Decatur, and volunteering
multiple days a week
at the front desk of
the Egleston Hospital
campus of CHOA.
My on-air
commentary for WSB-
Radio in Atlanta would
not begin for another
six years, but I already
had a strong friendship
with Scott Slade, host of
Atlanta’s Morning News. Slade,
along with on-air personalities
Neal Boortz and consumer
guru Clark Howard had been
tasked with selecting a cause
for the 750,000-watt radio blow
torch to get behind.
Boortz, a longtime
volunteer pilot for Angel
Flight, was championing
that worthy charity Howard,
an avid advocate for foster
children and Habitat for
Humanity, was suggesting
building a series of
playgrounds in green spaces
near economically challenged
communities.
To fertilize that idea seed, I
had taken Slade to the CHOA
Egleston campus to meet with
cancer patients, their families
and the caring hospital medical
staff. Slade was sold.
Boortz and Howard are
no pushovers, and each had
his favorite. But Slade kept
repeating, “Those are both
great causes...but they don’t
beat kids with cancer.” The
decision was soon made, and
WSB Radio would adopt the
AFFAC Cancer Centers as
their number one charity, and
annually since donates 36
hours of airtime to this cause.
Thankfully, WSB’s legion
of loyal listeners—reaching
as far north as Boston during
overnight hours—as well
hundreds of local and regional
business enterprises and later
celebrities from the sports,
entertainment and political
arenas all joined the effort.
President George W. Bush
made a pre-telethon visit to
one of the cancer centers, and
later a pitch during the first
Care-a-thon. Bush had lost
his sister Robin to pediatric
cancer at the age of 4. The
2018 Care-a-thon held in
late July, raised $1.63 million,
with more coming in online
and north Georgia Kroger
locations offering customers
the option to round-up to the
nearest dollar during the final
weekend, all benefiting the
Care-a-thon.
From Amos’ initial
millions, to those pennies from
Kroger, the Care-a-thon total
will likely exceed $1.7 million
this year, and well over $20
million to date. A wing at the
Scottish Rite CHOA campus
is dedicated to WSB Radio
listeners who helped to make
its construction possible.
From an idea seed to a
village of giving, this event
grows more each year. Thanks
to the many of you who have
given, or who have shared this
story with others. If or when
you and yours have needs of
this nature, CHOA and the
AFFAC Cancer Centers will be
ready. Praying that you never
have the need, but knowing
that if such tragedy strikes, you
could not be in better hands
nearby—surrounded by love,
knowledge and thousands of
others who have been down
this same road ahead of you.
Bill Crane also serves
as a political analyst and
commentator for Channel 2 s
Action News, WSB-AM News/
Talk 750 and now 95.5 FM,
as well as a columnist for The
Champion, DeKalb Free Press
and Georgia Trend. Crane is
a DeKalb native and business
owner, living in Scottdale. You
can reach him or comment on a
column at bill.csicrane@gmail.
com.
