THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

In a magazine article I read, the COO of an international corporation, said: "I don't talk to my people about employability, but about this being a career. It costs a lot of money to get consultants up to speed. I don't want people who work for a few years as a consultant, and then get a "real job" in a company HR department. We're looking for people who want to stay 15 or 20 years."

Mr. Rogers, can you spell baloney? This is the same hole we were all pushed in--then buried up to our necks with shovels full of downsizings.

Of course organizations want you to stay 15 or 20 years as long as they need your skills. As soon as they don't need them, hasta la vista, baby.

I don't blame the organizations for reprioritizing their skill needs. Out with the old in with the new makes perfect sense to stay competitive in today's rapidly changing world. Just 'fess up! Getting what organizations need and telling the truth are not two mutually exclusive concepts!

With the mobility higher skilled people possess, why do some executives continue to try to lure folks into a sense of false security? They must stop peeing on workers' legs and telling them it's rain.

Lesson: Organizations rent employee skills for as long as the organization needs those skills. Period.