Sunday Newscape Magazine

With millions out of work employers now have the upper hand when choosing potential employees. Long gone are the days of employees offered multiple opportunities without a care in the world. The trend “job-hopping” is now a distant memory due to the unstable market conditions.

Employers now look at a person’s I.Q, “Intelligence Quotient” rather than the traditional E.I, “Emotional Intelligence” when making their selections. In other words, the relatively inexperienced people with the piece of paper, “college degree” are moved to the front of the line in the decision making process. Unfortunately, the people with years of experience that carry “emotional intelligence” are moved to the back of the line. What does this disturbing development mean? Most important, why would employers take such risk?

Employers would now rather hire the “I.Q” generation that can be offered lower wages compared to a person who knows the work with many years in the field. Don’t get me wrong, I know employers are in the business to make money, but if you break down the pros and cons of this dilemma the future outcome could be devastating.

First: The term “Emotional Intelligence” offers employers the biggest advantage by investing in people who know their field. People that fall into this category are more prone to be more negotiable in the terms of their employment, need less training, and are more likely to offer years of service to the company.

The “I.Q Generation” are hungry neophytes looking to land the job and add more experience to their resume. These people have a vision of what they want for the future and will jump-ship at the next big offer. They network often and are sometimes in the field they do not want to be in. Sure they went to school, but statistics show people who graduate collage usually move to a second career other than their major.

Second: “Emotional Intelligent” people offer the best attribute by way of street smarts about their field, gut feelings when making crucial decisions, and a willingness to present their findings to top management.

The “I.Q Generation” does not carry these attributes and often need to refer to educational references to make such decisions. In other words, what they offer is a “crap shoot” decision based on the writings of others. Most important, they don’t carry the vital experience about market trends that could be a catastrophic cost to their employers.

Third: What ever happened to working your way up? Seasoned employees know this system well and have experienced it throughout their career. The “Emotional Intelligent” employee knows how the company is run on many levels and usually experienced it through the years. They know market trends, what the company is looking for on a profitability level, and want to succeed just as bad as the CEO.

My theory on all of this is quite simple. My advice could benefit both sides, and perhaps even change this disturbing trend. It all boils down to the all mighty dollar, but put into better places.

First: Employers should eliminate, or at least make employees pay for their health benefits. This would eliminate a tremendous expenditure and create more competition in the insurance industry to lower premiums.

Second: Stop offering 401K incentives and offer company stock instead. This will entice employees to invest in their future and provide much needed cash for the company in general. Facts prove that stock offerings provide a sense of ownership to employees and will inspire them to be more productive.

Third: Increase salaries across the board. With the elimination of perks such as health benefits and 401k’s try offering performance based bonuses as the one perk to drive productivity. Nothing beats the power of cash and employees will now know their destiny is in their work performance. And finally, employers must realize that the right people who know the business will accept these fugal incentives as a way for all to benefit in the long run.

As I said before, the bottom line is cash is king. Seasoned employees understand this. Why not offer more and less at the same time? In other words, increase salaries and offer less perks to employees then offer advice on insurance, investing, and overall financial planning that will help employees in the long run. Let employees make their own decisions about their lives out of the workplace and stop feeling obligated to fill that void.

As for the “I.Q Generation,” try experiencing the same work ethic that built this country for generations. In the end, the more experience you have in all areas of business the more lucrative doors will open in the future.