Jobs and work ethic in Denver (to rent, hotels, employment)

[FunkyMonk]

I am fairly new to Denver and overall I think it is a great place to live. It is a balanced city that offers a variety of things. And it is a city that doesn't have too many of the big problems that are out of control in lots of other American cities.

One thing that sucks about Denver is the job and work situation. I have lived in a few other states, and it seems like that laws are here are not very employee-friendly.

For example, I keep getting told that Colorado is a "fire at will" state. Meaning that an employer can just fire you at any time for virtually no reason. I recently saw this happen at my job too.

All the rules on the job are very strict. At my job, if you are late at 3 times, you are fired. This attendence policy is much, much more strict than anything I have ever seen. And if you are even 1 or 2 minutes late coming back from break, you get written up.

These laws are very, very different and much more strict than what I had in California and Oregon. Over there, the employee has more rights and job security. The jobs are generally a lot more laid back.

Also, this is subjective, but it seems like they push you harder here. They make you stay on your toes at all times and generally create a fast-paced and stressful work environment. They seem to treat employees with a certain amount of disrespect, and treat them like they are very expendable.

On top of all that, unemployment is high here. And a large amount of the jobs here are low paying and manual labor. I have met a LOT of college grads here who are just working retail and anything else they can get.

So what do you all think? Is this true? My job is definantly like this, and I have spoken with about a dozen people who have basically told me this same thing.

I love Denver, but I want to start up a good career, and i'm starting to feel like maybe this isn't the right city to be in for a recent college graduate with no connections like myself.

[Jester76]

Its called "work at will" work place.

[vegaspilgrim]

How can you project what the entire state is like based on this one job you have now? Maybe it's just your current employer.

[jessicaplayful]

I do agree with you that jobs are not employee friendly here. I am accustomed to union states which offer a lot of employee representation and protection. It was a culture shock to be employed in Colorado.

[amerifree]

The influx of undocumented foreign workers taking jobs here has definitely hurt us the in the past 10 years. Recent laws and the recession are driving them back home....or at least out of our beautiful state.

[formercalifornian]

I think it depends greatly on the type of job and employer. Neither my husband nor I have experienced anything like what you describe.

[72degreeboredom]

What you're describing sounds like a problem with workplace culture, not a statewide problem. California (where I live) is an at-will state also, so this is not unique to Colorado. At-will status can be mutually beneficial for employees and employers. Your employer can't sue you if you quit tomorrow with no notice and decide to work another job. Despite how this may affect your resume or recommendations, at-will status means you aren't required to give notice or even explanation for leaving a job. This is beneficial for people who are leaving harassing work environments. It also means that an employer can terminate you at will.

I have had some of my worst experiences working for a national grocery chain while living in California, because of the corrupt nature of that company--not because of California law. These kinds of things become clearer as you work longer and have more experiences under your belt. Some employers are bad and ride the edges of employment law. Some willingly break them and are okay with being sued. But as I said, at will status goes both ways. You can look for another job and leave when you find one.

[DenverAztec]

Originally Posted by formercalifornian

I think it depends greatly on the type of job and employer. Neither my husband nor I have experienced anything like what you describe.

Much agreed, it depends on the employer and the industry you work in. If you walk into the hotels downtown at night you will find dozens of Christmas parties. I was at the Brown and counted eight of them going on in one night. Probably in the medical and legal industry, for that seems to be the industies not effected by the current recession. On the other hand, I had excellent customer service at King Sooper the other day and wanted the person helping me to be recognized for it. I found out that there was no employee incentive program, not even a way to pay a compliment for a job well done. I was told by another employee, "no pat on the back for us but the second you do one thing wrong you could loose your job." I really felt bad for them as it literally cost nothing to say "way to go" or post a compliment on an employee board in the break room. I have not had this experience in any of my jobs in Colorado and if I did, I would not work for that company long. I thought about not shopping at King's because of my high level experience, but that would only hurt the employee in the long run. I was so pleased with the lady that helped me that I did tell her how happy I was with what she did for me. I asked if I could at least give her a hug, she said she loves hugs and thank me for making her night. I don't know her situation and maybe she has to work under those conditions, heck this could have even been her 2nd or 3rd job? But just a little recognition can go a long way in someone's life and significanly improve overall customer service.

[Consider_Again]

I understand how Funky gets this idea, I had the same impression when we first moved to Denver. I agree that the work environment is a function of the particular company. My spouse does not see this high pressure at work, but I have seen it to a degree. Others I know live by the clock and work results are secondary to them because that is the priorities their particular company projects. This is in a professional, salaried profession.

My belief is that Denver is a desirable place to live and employers can take advantage of this. If I were fresh out of college, Denver probably would not be the place I would start out from a career perspective.

In general, Denver salaries are lower than elsewhere and employers show less commitment to their employees, if they show any at all. Jobs that elsewhere would be direct-hire positions are contracted out to rent-a-engineer/programmer/temp/etc shops (search Career Builder/Monster for examples). Of course not all companies are like this, but I have found it more prevalent in Denver than in others major cities.

Don’t take me wrong, I really like Denver as a place to live. But the work environment in Denver can force workers to make decisions as to what is most important to them.

My 2c

[steveindenver]

Boo hoo. If you don't want to work, don't. A lot of people do want to work.