Treat Your Employees Like People And They Might Stick Around

I was in a job for five years when a new director came in that I did not get along with, so I started to seek out a new job.

I got a call from an office asking to come in for an interview when I was out of town for my wedding. I let them know I was out of town and could schedule something for when I got back. The woman on the phone was a little rude after that but I brushed it off.

When I went in for my interview:

Interviewer: “So, you were out of town when we originally planned this interview. We are not looking to hire ‘transient’ people.”

Me: “I had a destination wedding which, naturally, had been planned for a while. And since I was in my last job for five years after graduating from school, I’m not sure how I come across as ‘transient’.”

The woman did not say much in return and instead gave me some paperwork regarding their company policies. There was nothing about time off, PTO, or sick leave, so I asked for clarification.

Interviewer: “See! I knew you were transient! You go off for trips instead of working. We want people for the long haul!”

I walked out.

They called me a few weeks later stating that the woman who interviewed me was no longer there and asked me to come back in. I politely declined. I looked up their employee reviews online a while later and saw that the turnover is horrible as they rarely approve time off and give one half-hour of sick leave per pay period.