User talk:FlorabelPlacido

Job Mismatch: A threat to Organization

By: Florabel A. Placido, MBA Student - Camarines Norte State College, Philippines

Staffing is the crucial part of management function, as it needs to choose the right people to the right job. Most problems encountered in every organization is the job mismatch and the very issue that remains controversial to this, is the Connections in the Workplace. An applicant might not have the qualifications for the specific job, but since he/she is a friend or a relative of the higher position then there will be a high assurance for him/her of securing the job.

The idea of promotion and selection in the Government Organization simply explain the Peter Principle. According to Dr. Laurence Peter, an employee will be promoted once he/she succeeds in his/her position wherein he/she is less competent. The ideal promotion in the Government specifically in the Political Government Agencies like LGUs, Capitols, and the like depends on the length of service and the connections that an employee has in the workplace. This has been observed in most government agencies even there are Personnel Selection Boards and other guidelines to be followed from the Civil Service Commission. If the Appointing Authority wants a specific employee to be in that position, he/she will have the power to do so.

Some politicians use this kind of power to encourage the citizens to support them during the election. A politician usually choses families with larger head counts as a tactic during their campaign. The larger the family, the higher the possibility that one of their member will be hired as a government employee right after the election.

While other politicians chose those who have a great impact to the people. They use celebrities, bloggers and influential people to persuade the citizens. These people may also be part of the Government Agency even they do not possess the needed requirement in the position they will be appointed to.

Job mismatch doesn’t only occur in the Government Agencies as it also played as a controversial issue in the Private Sectors. The most popular job nowadays is the Business Process Outsourcing wherein most Filipinos prefer to be Call Center Agent as it is one of the top paying job in the Philippines.

We all know that Filipinos are family oriented people and they will do whatever it takes to support their family. As the call center companies started to outgrow, Filipino applicants graduated from different courses applied for the position because of the benefits and other amenities offered by the companies. Most applicants are graduate of business administration, hotel and restaurant management, and from medical related courses. Even this isn’t their line of expertise, they prefer to be a call center agent as this is a remedy for financial trouble.

Another reason for job mismatch is the in demand courses being offered in every colleges, universities or technical/vocational training institutions. Few years ago, the Philippines produced thousands of nursing graduates to meet the Labor Demand inside and out the country. Sadly, nursing graduates nowadays are the ones who are actually paying to be able to work in the hospital for the needed work experience as they have difficulty in entering the US Labor Market until 2020 since the shortage in America ended in 2010 and until now, they have sufficient supply of nurses. To lessen the problem, Filipino nurses then preferred to apply as an Overseas Filipino Workers or Domestic Helpers abroad or call center agents in the Philippines having their skills unutilized. Some institutions tend to base their choice of course offerings on what they see students and parents want, having errors in the perception of job market demands. These institutions must foresee the possible job and in demand needs in the corporate world to lessen the problems regarding this issue.

There are different factors that affect the organization if improper staffing, recruitment and promotion are made. This function should not be overlooked as it can cause severe problem in the organization. Incorrect people to unfitting job may lead to service malfunctions and inefficient operations.

However, I believe that everyone is competitive enough even it is not their mastery. As long as a person loves what he/she is doing, work can be done according to what is being planned. An employee needs Job Satisfaction and it depends on their level of needs as described in the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

References:

https://selectvoice.com.au/why-filipinos-choose-to-work-in-a-philippine-call-center/

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/peter-principle.asp