The U.S. labor market has become so tough for white-collar workers that a new trend is emerging. Reverse recruiting involves job seekers forking over money to recruiters in what is a clear “shift from the traditional model.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, finding a white-collar position has become "so tough" that "candidates—not companies—are paying recruiters to match them with positions."
It has long been the case that recruiters have been paid by employers to "find talent for tough-to-fill positions."
So-called "reverse-recruiting" services are turning that traditional model on its head.
Take, for example, the reverse-recruiting service Refer. According to the Journal, Refer connects job seekers to roles. If and when a candidate gets the job, they then pay Refer a percentage of their first month's paycheck.
Other reverse-recruiting services "charge a set rate to submit applications on a candidate’s behalf."
The reverse-recruiting model is another sign of the mounting challenges for white-collar job seekers."
Read more via The Wall Street Journal
Across the globe, employers are looking to increase worker well-being and build a sense of community among employees. A growing number of UK employers appear to be convinced that beehives may be -- at least part of -- the answer.
The Guardian reports that a number of UK employers are now "working with professional beekeepers to install hives on rooftops, in courtyards and car parks."
These employers are “positioning beekeeping not as a novelty but as a way to ease stress, build community and reconnect workers with nature in an era of hybrid work and burnout.”
Beehives offer a glimpse into what many businesses are striving to achieve. Hives, after all, offer workers a literal view into an example of “shared, purpose-driven goals, decentralized decision-making where individuals act autonomously for the collective good, and honest communication.”
Some employers are taking workers on field trips to learn about beekeeping, while others are bringing hives to their offices.
Cameras can even be installed "inside hives so they can observe the bees from their desks," and one employer is offering beehive “livestreams into their break room.”
There’s something very special – almost spiritual – about enabling your employees to take time away from work to see how nature has created the greatest example of how every business should run."
Buckley's Bees says it has "about 24 UK clients and more than 10 international ones" and told the Guardian that "business has grown so quickly that she is now recruiting additional staff."
Bentley is a Buckley's Bees customer. The automaker says beekeeping is part of the company's "wider sustainability programme." Bentley's bees produce honey the company shares with "colleagues and VIP visitors."
UK-based BeesMAX operates "wellbeing lunch clubs for employees in the grounds of businesses and business parks across the UK."
The trend isn't limited to just the UK. Best Bees operates a corporate beehiving program across the U.S. Clients include New Balance, EMD Serono, L'Oreal and TJX.
Read more via The Guardian, Buckley's Bees, BeesMAX, Best Bees
While most millennial knowledge workers are happy in their current positions, half say they would pursue new opportunities if opportunities for advancement aren't clear, according to a new General Assembly survey.
Highlights from General Assembly's survey of 515 millennials ages 29-44 in the U.S. and UK:
Satisfaction varies dramatically by level: Overall, 80% of millennials are content in their current role, yet there's a divide by seniority level, with satisfaction reaching 94% among directors and above while falling to 63% among individual contributors.
Loyalty depends on market conditions: Should hiring improve, almost half of millennials say they would pursue new positions. More than a third would engage with recruiters, and just 14% say they're committed to staying put.
Workers with a clear advancement path are far more likely to stay: Satisfaction among workers with a "defined advancement trajectory" is significantly higher than those lacking clear paths.
Workers feel a sense of urgency when it comes to AI skill development: Two in five millennials report their foundational skills becoming outdated due to automation, with more than a quarter experiencing career disruption already.
Many workers doubt opportunities for internal advancement: 40% of millennials perceive their employers favor external candidates—a view held by nearly half of senior leaders.
Read more via General Assembly
A growing number of younger female job seekers are "lowballing" salary expectations and volunteering to accept pay below posted ranges, according to new reporting by Slate.
Finding a job is now harder than getting accepted to an elite college: According to Greenhouse, job applicants now have just a 0.4% chance of being hired when applying for a job.
It's even harder for recent graduates: According to Intelligent.com, 38% of employers avoid hiring recent graduates for roles they're technically qualified for.
In this cost-cutting, ageist, gendered, and racist hiring market, a growing number of younger, female job seekers have begun “lowballing” their salary expectations: offering to work for less than the posted salary."
There's a gender pay gap embedded in expectations: Research by Handshake on "reservation wages" shows Gen Z women already expect to earn $6,200 less on average than male peers. (Lowered expectations likely to depress actual earnings over time as market benchmarks follow individual concessions downward.)
Lowballing rarely works and creates lasting disadvantage: Experts say hiring managers at banks often interpreted below-range offers as candidates either not understanding the role or lacking confidence. Women who accept a steep pay cut to join a firm often believe they can simply catch up later, but they often remain behind as newer hires came in at higher salaries.
Read more via Slate
"Age-related diseases are a workplace reality," according to The Wall Street Journal. Memory decline impacts a significant number of workers. It's a reflection of the country's aging workforce.
The number of older adults who are working has increased from 47% in 1987 to 62%, currently.
While there are no statistics that say just how many older workers are experiencing actual dementia, experts say "functional memory … declines naturally with age," and "dementia risk increases with age."
Many older workers are "reluctant to acknowledge cognitive decline or dementia and primary-care doctors often miss the conditions."
Older workers who are in the "early stages of cognitive decline and dementia" can continue working if they have flexible work schedules and the support of technology-based reminders.
