Are you a ‘Corporate Prisoner’?
For the majority of people lucky enough to be in full-time employment throughout 2009, the option of moving on or up has been compromised.
According to a recent report from Chiumento, ‘Corporate Prisoners’ fall into several categories. We’ve characterised them as follows:
1. The Escaper: ‘Doing the time’ until they spot the first opportunity to escape when the recession begins to unlock.
2. The Visiting Star: A model prisoner and a shining example. They make the most of their stay but wait anxiously for the next opportunity to scale the career ladder and escape.
3. The Economic Prisoner: They stare at the bars created by a remuneration package that’s unlikely to be matched elsewhere.
4. The Prisoner of Circumstance: employer flexibility, locality, colleague friendships or other reasons conspire to make this prisoner feel comfortable where they are.
5. The Prisoner of Conscience: knowing they have reached the limit of their abilities, they avoid looking beyond the perimeter fence.
6. Lifers: less adaptable to change than other category prisoners, they never the less are a stable force and assume the role of corporate ‘memory bank’ for new inmates.
Certainly, the report reflects the experiences of Wilson Miller Resourcing in 2009.
For example, we’ve seen employers securing talented marketers for below ‘market value’ with some accepting up to 50% less remuneration than normal expectations. The result is that ‘Visiting Stars’ are often more qualified and able than immediate line management. With the upturn, employers will need to manage this situation carefully if they want to hold on to good talent.
We’ve also seen salaries (less so packages) reduce by around 10% on average. This has resulted in more ‘Economic Prisoners’ scanning the marketplace only to realise that a move could mean sideways or down, in salary terms. However, with more stability, we’re seeing these people scan the horizon once more.
Remote working and location flexibility have created a whole new value to employees in recent years. However, we know that not all technology organisations are able to fully support those ‘Prisoners of Circumstance’ that place high importance on the ability to avoid the commute or be more flexible with their daily routine.
Some marketers feel disenfranchised with their employer and management due to the upheaval created by recession strategies that can compromise the ability of marketing teams to prove themselves as a profit rather than a cost centre. Here’s where we find ‘The Escaper’.
Sue Gardner, Group Business Development Manager at Wilson Miller Resourcing said ‘whilst in some ways it may seem beneficial to have corporate prisoners, employers need to think carefully about their post-recession needs if they are to have the best marketing people to drive growth. Likewise, for employees (and contractors) they need to anticipate their best post-recession plan’.
Of course, this report can only reflect general trends and not everyone would consider themselves a prisoner. But if you can relate to any of the characters we’ve portrayed, perhaps we should be talking about your escape plan or an early release.
