Out of Tough Times Comes…

by "Get it Done Girl" on December 14, 2009 · 0 comments

in Free Agency

entrepreneurship and innovation!

Having been though a tough year myself, being unemployed and all, I can relate to this statement.  Going into business for myself had been in the back of my mind for a few months- not just in the back of my mind, but also staring me in the face!  While networking to find a job, I had others tell me that I should start my own business.  Note to self:  When several peers and mentors give you suggestions, give them some serious thought.

In my search for a job, I was seeing a serious disconnect between employers and job seekers.  On the one hand, employers are in a bind during the current state of the economy; they have work that needs to be done, but they might not necessarily have the funds to hire an employee – we’re expensive, and it’s not just the salary, it’s the health insurance, taxes and office space.  And they might not have enough work to require a part-time employee, let alone a full-timer.  Job seekers, on the other hand, want full-time jobs with benefits.  Most part-time gigs don’t come with health insurance, so job seekers are forced to hold out for the right (or wrong) full-time jobs.

The problem occurs when a cash-strapped, employer hires a full-time employee who is assigned the work load of a part-timer.  I was in this exact situation earlier this year.  After being laid off in February and unemployed for 4 months, I took a full-time job that I had hoped was going to evolve into something I could “live with” while searching for something more suitable.  It turned out that the parent company was financially supporting a start-up entity (cash-strapped) and there really wasn’t enough work for me to do as a full-timer.  The company offered no paid vacation for the first year, no paid-time -off and no 401(k) match because of their poor financial situation.  Needless to say, after 2 months, which were two of the roughest their start-up had seen, I was laid off.  Again.

And now we have Contemporary Business Solutions – a modern approach to solving this disconnect.  I work when I’m needed (retainers are encouraged), whether that’s 4 hours/month, 40 hours/month or for special projects that only come up a few times a year.  I was recently introduced by a colleague, “This is a Suzanne, she’s a business owner, if you’re overwhelmed, just give it to her and she’ll get it done.”  While that’s a very rough description of what I do, people can relate.

What are your thoughts on this disconnect between employers and job seekers in this economy?  Are you being as innovative as you can with your business to whether the current economic situation?

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