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People are 'ghosting' at work, and it's driving companies crazy

olubode

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,902
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/people-ghosting-work-its-driving-companies-crazy-chip-cutter/

Where once it was companies ignoring job applicants or snubbing candidates after interviews, the world has flipped. Candidates agree to job interviews and fail to show up, never saying more. Some accept jobs, only to not appear for the first day of work, no reason given, of course. Instead of formally quitting, enduring a potentially awkward conversation with a manager, some employees leave and never return. Bosses realize they've quit only after a series of unsuccessful attempts to reach them. The hiring process begins anew.

Among younger generations, ghosting has "almost become a new vocabulary" in which "no response is a response," says Amanda Bradford, CEO and founder of The League, a dating app. Now, "that same behavior is happening in the job market," says Bradford, who's experienced it with engineering candidates who ghosted her company
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I'm happy and secure in my job because my team and immediate managers are awesome. I don't plan on leaving anytime soon and if I did, I would extend some courtesy and time off. But damn it if that first sentence in my quoted paragraph isn't a case of the chickens coming home to roost.

May you 'ghost' your next job (for a better one of course) if old.
 
Dyno

Dyno

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
13,208
It's hard for me to feel sympathy when so many companies think it's cool to leave people waiting on an answer that isn't coming.
 

Deleted member 41178

User requested account closure
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Mar 18, 2018
2,903
This isn't new, I've had multiple people over the last 18 years or so not turn up to an interview, or for the first day at work and never hear from them again.
 
thewienke

thewienke

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,918
Good.

Employers have been shitty with their employees and hiring process especially since 2008. Supposedly we have full employment but there's still often an attitude that people should be endlessly thankful for their shitty jobs.

I had a manager send a mass email to his direct reports at my last job when we all got bonuses that we should be grateful that we even have jobs and that bonuses seem outrageous.
 
nopressure

nopressure

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,414
There was a topic in Era where a sizeable chunk of the posters recommended the OP should ghost his doctor's appointments and find a new one.

Some people are insanely entitled - "if it's convenient for me, I don't care, screw everyone else".
 
RulkezX

RulkezX

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,342
The just not turning up anymore happens at my work.

Our bosses are pricks and treat us like shite so we've had a lot of turnover the last year. Most folk don't work their notice and just tell them to get fucked and stop coming in
 
TyrantGuardian

TyrantGuardian

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,293
Considering how most companies exploit and treat their workers I have a hard time feeling any sympathy over this whatsoever. Not that I would do it personally, but eh. Anything that "drives companies crazy" is good in my book.
 

Deleted member 9241

Oct 26, 2017
10,416
Millennials have a very difficult time with face to face interactions, much less if there may be conflict involved or if they are in any way to blame for the conflict. Anyone who works in the educational system will not surprised by this trend at all.
 
Brawly Likes to Brawl

Brawly Likes to Brawl

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,045
Ryohei Suzuki's bedroom
Applying for jobs online is such an impersonal and draining process, I'm not surprised some people get jaded from that decide not to give it their all when it comes to responding to the company.

Not going to work when you've actually been hired is fucking dumb, though.
 
Laserdisk

Laserdisk

Banned
May 11, 2018
8,942
UK
As a manager, this totally happens.
As as someone that my be made redundant soon I can maybe see both sides if something better happens.
 
Subpar Scrub

Subpar Scrub

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,576
I once went to an interview/assessment event where only 7 of the 12 candidates showed up. It's weird.

That being said, I've had a few friends who have "ghosted" their workplaces. I would personally never do it, just in case a new employer finds out my employment history and contacts them, but it makes me laugh to hear stories about it.
 

Deleted member 5127

user requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,584
TyrantGuardian said:
Considering how most companies exploit and treat their workers I have a hard time feeling any sympathy over this whatsoever. Not that I would do it personally, but eh.
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Same, and I wouldn't do it either. You are basically burning the bridge to that company and they'll most likely ignore you if you apply again in the future.

Not a smart thing to do.
 

Deleted member 2210

User-requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
1,366
This thread reminds me a lil of the guy who left that one good job, can't find the thread.

But yeah, I've left shit abusive retail jobs with no word but not anything close to professional.
 
Hellwarden

Hellwarden

Member
Oct 25, 2017
34,068
thewienke said:
Good.

Employers have been shitty with their employees and hiring process especially since 2008. Supposedly we have full employment but there's still often an attitude that people should be endlessly thankful for their shitty jobs.
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Basically where I'm at. Hell a lot of places straight up go through long arduous interview processes when they damn well know who they're gonna hire at step 1.

Maybe if companies stopped wasting our damn time with 5 or 6 step interview processes people would be a bit more receptive.
 
Ogami Itto

Ogami Itto

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,612
Shit I have been ghosted by department heads in the company I work for when I tried to change positions.
 
Vuze

Vuze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,186
It's hard to feel any sympathy yet that's something I wouldn't do in any remotely professional job. Burning bridges and all that.
 
Subpar Scrub

Subpar Scrub

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,576
SillyEskimo said:
Millennials have a very difficult time with face to face interactions, much less if there may be conflict involved or if they are in any way to blame for the conflict. Anyone who works in the educational system will not surprised by this trend at all.
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In my experience, this isn't millennials "fearing conflict", it's that their work conditions and bosses are so shitty that they literally can't be bothered handing in a resignation notice. They see it as an out-of-the-way "considerate" thing to do, that will inevitably be addressed by the bosses with complete disinterest and just stamped or filed or whatever, because they're made to feel worthless.
 
skeptem

skeptem

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,742
This is hardly new. Anecdotal of course, but I was just talking to a hiring manager saying how years ago she had a job posting that over the course of a few months multiple people accepted a job and never showed up.

It actually happened to me a few years ago where I was trying to hire a tech and people were routinely not showing up for the interview.
 
jwk94

jwk94

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,410
This just seems rude and immature. I'll never understand why people just up and leave jobs like that. You might hate the workplace but you just leaving without notifying anyone else makes everyone else's job that much harder because now they're short staffed.
 
TheBeardedOne

TheBeardedOne

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
22,189
Derry
That's kind of messed up. On one hand, I feel bad for the companies because it's a rude thing to do. On the other hand, I can't count the amount of times I've been ghosted by companies I've applied to, so that lessens my sympathy.
 

Deleted member 4034

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
26,560
Shit, my managers don't even show up sometimes, they might tell us why half the time.

8 people showed up to work Friday. Half of them left by 2:30. Only reason I stuck around the whole day was because I had a harsh deadline on a task.

* reads op *

Hmmm. Well that's a bit different. There was a girl we hired who didn't show up, but when we called her she said "Oh, I thought I was starting NEXT week".
 
Klyka

Klyka

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,383
Germany
I gotta vent a bit about a dumb situation regarding "ghosting" from the store I manage:

3 weeks ago, a young man had an interview with me for a job at our store. He was a nice dude, definitely capable of doing the job.
Only problem was that his German was just his second language and you could tell he wasn't fluent in it. That's basically the only real requirement we have for our student job offers, because you basically have to talk all day to customers and colleagues in German and the company wants communication to work.
Now, I personally thought he was doing pretty well and could see him becoming more fluent quickly and do the job. So i thanked him and told him we'd message him, whether he got the job or not. I even said "Don't worry if you don't get an email the next few days, it sometimes takes over a week for the decision to be made, but we will 100% message you".
I then wrote a mail to my boss, telling him about the interview and asking for his decision on whether or not to hire him.
2 days later, I was told I'd have to go to another city to train staff in a new store there, so I wouldn't be able to really do any management at my normal store.
I asked a coworker who was being my replacement while I was gone to please check for emails from the boss and absolutely message the young man about the boss' decision.
Lo and behold, I come back 3 days ago and it turns out my boss didn't want to hire him and coworker never sent the guy a message at all, thereby ghosting him even when I specifically told him we don't ever do that.
I know it's probably a "small" thing, but man it made me angry. I promised the guy at least a proper answer and he got nothing. Ugh.
 
haziq

haziq

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,652
As a millennial, I can see the good & bad of it.

A lot of jobs simply aren't worth applying to if you have any kind of marketable skills or trade experience. Might as well explore your options and don't settle for the shit ones if you know you can do better.

That being said, most people, in my experience, ghost because they can't or don't want to meet some kind of prerequisite: flexible scheduling, long hours, clearing a drug test, work quotas of some kind, etc.
 
Volimar

Volimar

volunteer forum janitor
Member
Oct 25, 2017
38,236
SillyEskimo said:
Millennials have a very difficult time with face to face interactions, much less if there may be conflict involved or if they are in any way to blame for the conflict. Anyone who works in the educational system will not surprised by this trend at all.
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Not just millennials. Everyone wants to avoid confrontation these days.
 
Johnny Blaze

Johnny Blaze

Avenger
Oct 29, 2017
4,155
DE
Reap what you sow.

Companies make it seem like its some sort of welfare and privilege to employ you while CEOs and shareholders get the big paycheques and the people working their asses of get the scraps. Plus they ghost much more.
 

Deleted member 4034

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
26,560
sir wallace walrus said:
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Yeah, I feel like everyone at my job is like this now, even the managers. Just don't show up or "work" from home.

jwk94 said:
This just seems rude and immature. I'll never understand why people just up and leave jobs like that. You might hate the workplace but you just leaving without notifying anyone else makes everyone else's job that much harder because now they're short staffed.
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Because fuck em that's why.
 
nsilvias

nsilvias

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,676
what do they expect? these are the same companies that expect you to have a college diploma to work a minimum wage shit job.
 
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