When we hire an expert to do a job for us, we expect that person or company to offer something valuable. You want to get what you pay for, as they say, but what happens when you receive a service that you do not have to pay for, or when you agree on a price for a service, but feel you are paying too much for that service? Our society seems to be OK with dickering on an established price. We sometimes forget that price is usually based on fair market value, years of experience, level of required education, ability to provide something we do not have expertise in, or access to resources. Sometimes we can negotiate a deal, receiving more value for what we paid in price. Our society views certain professionals as highly valued and highly priced experts, such as lawyers, accountants, and doctors; the more you pay – the better the advice or so we think. But that mentality that has been grilled into us forever can devalue those who are not as highly paid, or who choose to help those who cannot afford the highest paid. There are great lawyers who work for legal aid, or choose to offer pro bono work, or our health care providers who work through our public system, who we rely on for our health and well-being. Should we devalue those professions? Of course not. There are many industries that are devalued, either for what they charge, or because they don’t charge at all. When did we become a society that values individuals who make the most money, while we can be perfectly fine with not tipping wait staff, even if they do a great job, or we try to renegotiate the price of a service after it has already been done. In a world of unlimited choices, why would anyone want to work in a devalued service industry, where price and rates decrease after the service is done, and the people we need most make the least money? My industry is a service based industry. After working to help candidates find appropriate work for many years, our industry has become devalued by many. Candidates do not pay staffing agencies for anything. Instead, we work day in and day out to interview and effectively assess these candidates in order to help them. But because candidates do not pay us, some do not value the service we provide them. On the flip side, we’ve spent years and plenty of money attracting the right employers and working with them to find the best possible candidate for their positions. Employers do pay us once we have found the best fit, the most reliable and most perfectly skilled candidate for their position. But often, once we’ve found this perfect candidate, employers will try to renegotiate the price for this service, even though this service has already been completed, and the price has been agreed to. I think our industry is devalued along with many others…To be continued next Sunday!
-- Sharlene Massie is the C.E.O. of About Staffing Ltd., a dynamic personnel agency specializing in direct-hire and temporary placements. Questions for Sharlene? Visit the About Staffing website at www.aboutstaffing.com, and click on the link under the Sun logo. This article may be reproduced or transmitted if done so in its entirety, including this copyright line: Copyright 2009, by About Staffing Ltd., all rights reserve.
