We've talked about "ghosting" employers on a previous show. We’ve all heard of ghosting in relationships, but ghosting in the workplace is increasing. And here's new, startling data: an increasing number of people think it's just fine.
Ghosting in the workplace is when job seekers abruptly cut off communication with a company when they decide not to pursue a job, and while that may seem rude to some, others don’t feel the same way.
In fact, a new survey finds that 40% of job seekers think it’s reasonable to ghost companies during the interview process, with 48% saying it’s reasonable particularly during the early stages of interviewing.
So, why would someone ghost a company?
Well, the most common reason is that they’ve accepted another job (30%) although 19% say it’s because they felt the job wasn’t a good match. Some are also getting back at the companies, with 23% saying they ghost a company when that company stops communicating with them.
And while job seekers think it’s perfectly okay to ghost a company, they aren’t happy when it’s the other way around. Turns out, 35% of job seekers think it’s very unreasonable for a company to ghost an applicant, while only 21% think it’s unreasonable for an applicant to ghost a company.
I was shocked to hear my previous guest talk about the number of applicants who get hired then DON'T SHOW UP ON THE FIRST DAY OF WORK. Doesn't it seem like this behavior will haunt an applicant when the job market is tight again?