Free Agency--The New Paradigm Taking their cue from professional athletes, the workplace is now the ‘free agent market’. And much as professional sports teams face ‘fee caps’ and overfee cap ‘taxes’, modern companies are finding there is not only no employee loyalty, there is an ever-increasing lack of integrity and sincerity in the marketplace. Case study: In one 33 day period I had 4 offers of employment on behalf of candidates, with 3 different companies. One resulted in a turndown at offer. That should mean three successful hires, right? No way, Jose--2 of the acceptances never made it to start date, meaning the candidates in our study misled my clients and me into believing they were sincere in accepting offers of employment. These candidates ALL continued their job searches through acceptances! And did these individuals call the hiring manager or me to inform us of their changing plans? No. In each case, the individual simply didn’t start or informed us after numerous calls that they’d accepted something else. And, did these individuals believe they had misrepresented their intentions, in effect fraudulently led all involved to believe one thing, while not honoring their word? Who knows? Was there any remorse? None apparent. When did it become alright to renege on something as important as one’s career with no remorse, or care for one’s own integrity and honesty. Where is the honor among professionals? When can an employer actually consider an acceptance to be ‘real’? Evidently U.S. workers bought into the idea that in an open market, anything goes. Hardly a positive way to begin a new Millennium. Why? What is causing the workforce to flat-out mislead people who are investing in their careers? Was it all the downsizing and re-engineering of the nineties? Is it the heady ‘gold rush’ attitude in technology companies that has inspired all workers in every industry to ‘reach for the gold’? Is it a reaction to the rise of contract and temporary employment as a solution to company overhead and benefits costs? Is it a general weakening of moral ethics? Probably all of the above. Throw in the ease of distributing or spamming one’s resume over the Internet and a strong expanding economy and you get the picture. It isn’t pretty. Common wisdom would dictate that a headhunter would thrive in this environment. And our industry can’t necessarily complain financially--times are good. But, in a landscape of quicksand, not being able to take a person at his/her word is a distasteful and ultimately negative way to navigate at work each day. I buy into the idea that company loyalty, the gold watch at retirement, companies taking care of its employees are an outdated paradigm, who’s days are long past. But it’s hard to have a positive world view when people I like and trust mislead me on career choices that impact them, their families, my client companies and myself. It can turn anyone into a cynic. Honor and sincerity, integrity--all words that don’t mean much in the career business in the new century. What a pity. . . .