Step in Line

"They" (whoever they are) say we are in an employer's market.    Our employer's can pretty safely impose some unpopular terms on the workforce.   The safety net comes from the fact that there are 100 people in line for your job.

..or so they say..

I receive, on average 6 emails per week from technology headhunters and I turn down, on average 2 or 3 projecs per month.   Feast or famine, I suppose.  If was unemployed, I'm sure Murphy's Law would route those offers elsewhere.   My employer doesn't wave the "employer's market" banner.  Decent human beings in manager's clothes don't do that. 

I have a friend/professional peer who isn't so lucky.  Richard called me and was beside himself in annoyance and anger, ready to quit his job. We chatted over beers about his work situation, let’s call him Richard.

His manager is a little man, like Bob Parr's manager on The Incredibles. They are on-call 24/7 and he works 70 hour weeks for a too-low salary that isn't commensurate with his job description or his experience.    The manager is demeaning.   He yells at the employees, ties their hands (figuratively) with silly policies.  He reads their email and pours over their web surfing logs with interest.   He is chauvinist, racist, dishonest and rude.    

The guy gets away with it all.   The Sr. Partners of his firm have basically “checked out”, paying no attention to runaway antics of this manager because his department meets their goals.   

Richard has been working on improving his education through certifications and he’s been saving from his modest pay to build a little financial cushion so that he could make a move to another company.   After our small liquid-therapy session, Rich decided to step back in line – grin and bear it for another two months.   On January 1st, he’ll be moving to a new job, one way or another.

How about you?  In this so/called employer’s market are you a “grin and bear it” or have you managed to find decent and benevolent managerial overlords?