One Job + One Job = One Job

Did you see today's Career Journal section of the Wall Street Journal? I don't know about you, but "Help Wanted: Senior-Level Job, Junior Title, Pay" caught my attention. The piece discussed a trend that's apparently becoming more and more common at companies adjusting to a weakened economy: combining what were two or even three jobs into ONE job, then giving it a lower-level title and offering a lower-level salary to match. Employers are doing this to cut costs any way they can and stretching assets -- in this case, people -- is something now on the table.

Yikes!

As professionals in career services, we all know that Gen Y candidates are graduating and entering the workforce at a breakneck pace. Some recruiters are capitalizing on young grads and in some cases are offering entry-level salaries but dishing out more responsibility than what you'd expect for a first job out of school. According to the article, these recruiters are figuring younger workers might not notice or might even be grateful to take on a job with more responsibility than the typical lower-level position.

But is it worth it? Near term, maybe. Long term? No.

The first thing that comes to my mind is the 'ol "churn and burn" factor. I'm all for multitasking and getting my hands dirty when it comes down to the work at hand, but at the same time a person can only do so much before quality of work vanishes in favor of quantity. Other major considerations, which the article notes, are everything from morale issues to retention concerns. In the end, savings will not be fully realized if employers need to continually run ads, post jobs, engage in on-boarding, etc. Their company brand can also get tarnished from an employment perspective. Who would want to work for a company that has a reputation for being a revolving door?

In the article, Amy Armitage, a partner at Capital H Group, a human-resources consulting firm based in Chicago, offers a quote that's definitely worth pondering. "You've got to look very closely at what jobs are being cut and ensure you don't cut into the bone, into the things that are really adding value to your customers and to what's really creating the growth engine of your company."

Have you seen this trend as your young grads search for and start their first jobs? Or, if you're a recruiter, what are your thoughts on this strategy?

Photo by xdjio