Recruiters and Employers Are Upset That Candidates and Employees Are ‘Ghosting’ On Them [MERGED] (job offer, interviews)

[mangomadness]

According to this article, employers are experiencing a greater number of employees and new hires who simply disappear, or ‘ghost’ on them. One day they simply leave without any resignation or communication. Likewise, candidates who receive a job offer after going through the interview process are doing the same. Employers are getting frustrated that basic communication is becoming a thing of the past. These aren’t low paying jobs either.

People are ‘ghosting’ at work, and it’s driving companies crazy...

This is an interesting turn that seems to be playing out in the stronger job market. Many are citing the long history of recruiters having disappeared on job candidates for years prior. It’s become learned behavior. Others are stating that it’s happening more with the rise of the millennial workforce numbers due to their desire to avoid conflict and lack of communication skills in potentially adverse situations.

I’m skeptical, but because this is my first awareness of ‘ghosting’ becoming a larger phenomenon relative to professional employees and candidates, I may have simply never paid attention before. I am fully aware that recruiters, both company and third-party, have done this for years however.

What do you say to this? Hiring managers, are seeing a rise in this behavior? Has anyone ever walked out on employment and job offers without any form of communication?

I can see leaving a place of employment with little to no notice.

I admit that I have left a couple of jobs without a two-week notice. I wrote a resignation letter, sent it to my manager, and left as soon as I sent the email or left a copy with the office admin. In both situations, I simply no longer wanted to be there and had felt that way long before making the final decision. Transferring to another area in the company either wasn’t feasible or an option, so I stayed as long as I could and then I left with a resignation letter.

Only once did I ever leave a job never to return the next day, but that was once I realized the company was a foreclosure scam company, not a real estate management company. I was there for all of a week and a half and saw/heard enough to where I was sure someone was going come in for retaliation. I did not want to be there when it happened.

However, I have never, ever disappeared on a job offer. I have always communicated if I was not accepting an offer. To not do so seems very strange to me. It takes a few moments to say or write a message thanking the company, but you decided to go with another offer and/or are no longer considering their role within the company, etc.

[katharsis]

I hate to sound like one of those Boomer curmudgeons, but I think that this is just a case of people thinking that if they don't have anything to lose or gain with doing or not doing something, then why bother?

Of course, not EVERYONE of the younger generations are guilty of that -- not by a long shot! -- but I think it applies to a great many young people. I have read way too many posts in which the writer says that anyone who shows any kind of courtesy is just being "fake".

I think that's sad.

[rensational]

I love it any time employers are getting a dose of their own medicine, and this truly is that. I'm not one of these people, but don't most people love to cry and whine about employers never contacting them after they send a resume or even sometimes after job interviews with a status update? Do employers give you "notice" when they're going to fire you or lay you off? You might sometimes get warnings, but sometimes you don't. I had a job in 2016 where I'm pretty sure at the time they hired me they knew there was a good chance their business was going to end up closing down. Their hiring me was an attempt to get more items listed in their online store so that they could produce more sales and bring in the money they desperately needed. Of course, I didn't know this until after the fact. Two months later, "We're closing down. You, you, you and you can go. We're only keeping the most valuable workers to help us close down." No notice. And they would have done it right before Christmas if my supervisor hadn't convinced them not to and to let us just enjoy our holidays.



Oh, but only "millennials" and other employees have communication issues.


I have most certainly walked off of jobs without a word, because the way I got treated at those jobs they absolutely deserved it. It was premeditated, too--in fact, if I hadn't been getting rides to work, I would have just walked off those jobs in the middle of the day and left people looking around wondering where I went. Instead, I knew at some point during my last day that I was not coming back and told no one, because I wanted the supervisors to show up the next day, have no one set up to do my job and realize how screwed they were. You can't treat employees like crap and get away with it with 100% of them. And the one thing they'd acknowledge at both jobs where I did this is that I was good at my job, and I did talk to at least one person afterwards and do know they were like "where is she???" and struggled the day I didn't show up on one of those jobs.



Basically, more and more people feel like they don't owe employers a damn thing, especially when employers seem to feel like they don't owe us a damn thing. They also have been whining about where is the loyalty for years now, and a lot of us are like, "Now, I know you're not talking about loyalty..."

[Racks]

Employers are quick to shout "at will" and they don't owe employees anything. Guess that works both ways.

[Lekrii]

If you don't own your own business, you're just shooting yourself in the foot by 'ghosting' an employer. Taking 30 seconds to reply saying you aren't interested would keep you from permanently burning bridges with potential employers.

Shortsighted people...

[jade408]

The world is way too small to do this. What dummies.

[MongooseHugger]

I could see someone being snarky writing a letter to an employer "I'm worry, but I've found a better employer than you." type of email (basically a reverse of the template "We like you but found a better candidate" email), particularly for employers that are known for not replying to candidates or following up. However, simply skipping merely for revenge on employers for doing it is VERY childish.

On the flip side, sometimes it's not so straightforward. Case in point, I have an uncle who was working at a temp agency between jobs and got an offer for a better job (that started perhaps two weeks or so later). He was basically told the next day not to come in by the temp agency because they didn't need him anymore because he put in his notice. (Perhaps he could have told them closer to the day he started the new job, but, on the flip side, some companies consider that bad behavior for giving only a day or so notice and will hold it against you in referrals or if asked by other employers if called by them when you are interviewing in the future.)

Actions like THAT from employers DO make simply skipping rather than putting in the notice more understandable. If you know you'll likely just get let go for putting in notice, why bother to give it?

[rocky1975]

The 'newer' crop of employees are afraid of confrontations and afraid to face any signs of adversity or potential conflicts.

[BobNJ1960]

This rude behavior may well temper how hard nosed employers get when the market turns in their favor, as they will fear another round of payback up the road.

[treemoni]

Well with all the people here sharing experiences with being fired after giving notice, I'm not too sure I wouldn't "ghost" either. How rude, after I give you the courtesy of allowing you to prepare for my departure!