Is the Mass Exodus About to Begin - Maybe So

[bananas]

From the Professional Reactor Operator Society website,
please read the comments there:

http://www.nucpros.com/?q=node/3927

Is the Mass Exodus About to Begin - Maybe So

by Bob Meyer

Some things just have a percipitous effect, and the exodus from the nuclear industry may be one of those things that are at our door step now. For example, one training manager turned in the retirement paperwork when it was found out that the company would not buy back vacation. The next person in line sees the writing on the wall, longer hours, short staffed, mmm... another person turns in the retirement paperwork. The bad thing is that an INPO ATV is not long away. Often successful people will not stick around to be put in an unsuccessful situation. Many individuals are stating, "one bad day to retirement." I hear 455 days, 233 days as greetings in the hallway, many times it includes hours and minutes to retirement. That has become a common greating. It is sad, and it is distracting to the new hires. How can we change the workforce views, how can we change companies compassion for the most valuable asset they have, the workforce.

Many companies have sustained budget savings by not filling jobs right away. Not a good thing in todays market. This puts additional stress on the rest of the workforce, in turn, more early retirements. We can no longer wait to fill a position once it is open, and then take 6 months to do it. We have to fill it before the position is vacant to ensure a good turnover. This puts the workforce under stress. We, as an industry can do better than that.

Many sites are in a critical condition. The fatigue rule coming in about 18 to 20 months from now will limit overtime and hopefully force the workforce to staff for the jobs that need to be done. This might even make it easier for the aging workforce to keep at it just a little longer. The staffing decision made today will be directly impacting the bottom line and the stockholders tomorrow.

I have often asked other sites where they are going to get their people. Too often I hear, "We are going to steal them from you." Take a look how many people are moving from company to company today.

<snip - read the comments ... >

[Lasher]

1. Change companies' compassion?

Wake up, US companies have zero compassion for their employees - unless you're in senior management, of course.

Today's movement from one company to another is something that was promoted by corporations 2 or 3 decades ago when they started robbing us of our defined benefit pensions and converting them to less lucrative cash balance plans. "See, your pension is portable now," they said. "That's what today's mobile employee wants." Then they helped us get even more mobile by 'right-sizing' many of us involuntarily off the payroll and doubling the workloads of survivors. Unpaid overtime was a given.

Somewhere along the line employees finally realized that loyalty is a one way street for US corporations: They expect to get it but if you as an employee have the gall to expect such a thing from your employer, then you have an 'entitlement attitude' or some other sinister personal failing. Today's employee mobility is a symptom of exactly that, and it's now being bemoaned by companies. You see, they want you to be mobile, but only on their terms.

I worked for a major corporation for a long time, until they offered an early retirement incentive a few years ago. Senior management was surprised that so many of us took the package, many more of us than they wanted or expected. They resented us for it. We were ungrateful for having left our benevolent masters before they were ready to fire us. Too bad, so sad.