It Might Just Be Me But..

[Lee]

Does it strike you odd that individuals working in the adult industry seem to go through more employers thn any other form of work?

I could reel off about 5 or 6 names of people that have worked for over 4 companies in the last 12 months :eek:

I dont get it.. surely leaving one comapny to go and work for another then leaving that company to go and work for another is doing you no good for 'long term' employment opportunties.

These peoples curriculum vitaes must be the size of Yellow Books

Anyone else think its strange or is it just me?

Regards,

Lee

[AusCoding Allan]

Easy solution Lee, work for yourself - then you never have to change employers!

Depends very much on the industry, I know back when I used to work in garden centres it was very much the same, staff turnover was extraordinary.

Cheers,

Allan

[basschick]

i know lots of people outside the adult industry who also go through lots of jobs.

[Dawgy]

yep. even myself. personally i think its because im hired for the wrong reasons. "hes gay lets get him to run the gay sites, but still tell him how to do it and not give him a budget" is the most common thing.

pornkings has been great to me tho, and im getting to do my own thing again, so yeah..

but um, back on topic, yes lee i agree.

[Scorpio]

You know, i can't blame people for that.
I worked for some big name companies over the years and from my experience, they all have problems at different levels. And if they can't even do correct business with a designer, i don't think they can do a great job with their own people...

I do think this business has more "weirdos" than any other businesses, and i find totally normal some people would change jobs oftenly. What to expect when the business is driven by sex.

[Harlan]

I agree with you all. We're an instant gratification society period. In the non-adult world, since the days of traditional structured employment with killer pension plan as a long-term carrot and a clear cut plan for advancing up the ladder plus leaner and leaner insurance and other benefits packages are giving people less reason to "stick it out."

Also affecting the non-adult world built into our industry is the advent of the virtual office. Since so many of us don't work together under one roof or even see each other face-to-face often, it can be very difficult to know if between employer and employee it's really the right fit for mutual long-term satisfaction. As Dawgy said...

I think it’s because I'm hired for the wrong reasons.

You are not alone there and I'm glad you finally have yourself a good gig! While they may have the right person for the wrong reasons...I think there are others who take a job for the right reasons in the wrong company. When people have only met in the largely social settings of a WM show and actually interview for job on the phone, it's easy to see how that can a happen and from the amount of job-hopping we have all seen, it is easy to see that it is happening often.

Of course, there are MANY benefits of virtutal office and aside from the friendly morning commute and casual dress-code, it also eliminates a lot of time wasting bull shit of office politics. The potential downfall there for an employee may be discovering the nuances of whose ass you need to kiss to get the promotion you want. The biggest drawback of the virtual office is the human factor. Without that daily interaction, it's all business and harder to foster that feeling of "general good will" and the loyalty that come with it. Knowing that your boss/employee/co-worker is a really good person, or perhaps having a personal crisis...and everything in between.
That is what can often inspire the loyalty to stick with something/someone/someplace during the bad times. Think of the newsrooms "family" of the Mary Tyler Moore show...would we have cared about Mary, Lou, Ted, Murray, Sue Anne to watch them 8 years is we only had their office memos to watch and not their human interaction?

I guess the only thing that is for certain this morning is that I have had way too much coffee!

[Scorpio]

"sigh" i love the way you talk Harlan

[Harlan]

Originally posted by Scorpio
"sigh" i love the way you talk Harlan

I once had an editor call me the run-away human theasurus in search of a verb but until I know differntly, I will take that and your quote Scropio as a compliment :bow:

[Dzinerbear]

Lee, and everyone,

I'm not surprised. This business is well-known for the big come-on and the piss-poor money shot. And I don't think it's any different when companies are looking for someone to join their ranks.

I can't tell you how many affiliate programs I've signed up with because they've got a good sales pitch on the outside and everything looks fantastic, and then, I get inside and the program really sucks, or their promotional materials do, or you try and contact them and they never reply to your message.

I think these kinds of things probably permeate into other areas of a company. And one generally doesn't see this kind of stuff until you're in the door and sitting at your desk. And then you're thinking, "Oh shit, this was a mistake."

Do you stay in a bad situation and try and make it work? Or do you get out and try something else?

Cheers
Dzinerbear

[Bell]

I haven't gone through allot of companies...
I've turned allot of offers down though... for one reason or
another... such as - heard bad things about them so the
*offer* while attractive $$ wasn't of interest to me -
even though I have been actively looking for over a year now...

I am picky also... I don't want to commit to a company that
I don't feel really really GOOD about... and as far as I am
concerned - I feel there are just a handful of those that
rate high marks and deserve my respect...


others I have turned down have been for things like
I have seen them go through LOTS of employees - so you
KNOW something is wrong there somewhere...

or I have heard they've bounced affiliate checks - so
no way I'd consider something there...

or they expect you to be slave labor and work miracles
for chicken feed... not gonna happen...

or they obviously are only interested in quickly working
through your C.I. and then moving on to the next employee...

or they don't treat you with common decency - just because
they are the boss and have tons of cash - they think that
means you should kiss their ass - not gonna happen...

or they have really crappy crappy crappy products and
aren't planning to DO anything about that anytime soon...

the list goes on...

I know it seems to those on the outside - that I have
been looking for someone hiring for a long time...
and I have... and some of you may even be thinking or
have thought in the past "Bell must not have any skills"
or "there must be something wrong that Bell can't find work"...
but I KNOW that allot of you KNOW exactly what I am
referring to when I say - there are ALLOT of worthless
opportunities out there - that aren't worth saying yes to...

I'll hold out for one that I respect, and want to see
succeed... and believe in... then it will all come
together for BOTH of us...

I'm a loyal, creative, energetic workaholic, chocoholic
adult marketer - that even does mainstream... I have
a feeling - something is just around the corner...
it's actually exciting to know - it's going to happen soon...
and who will be the lucky one that I will say "YES" to...

so until the company, sponsor, person comes along that
needs a creative adult/mainstream marketer, customer
service, promotions, affiliate - events - and - boards
networker... then I will keep my eyes and ears open for
just the right OPP...

you all keep your eyes open for me as well...

~Bell

p.s. I bet the right OPP will present itself AT - the
Florida - Internext - Aug. 2004 - - - if'n I can
get myself there... time will tell....

[pornJester]

I've noticed that also and always wondered. I think there are some great replies in this thread. I've always thought that some people had no place working in this industry also from their lack of knowledge when you talk to them on ICQ or at a convention. I've seen alot of people come and go, bounce around, and all the rest over the years, makes me glad I work for myself.

[BDBionic]

I'm used to goin' back and forth from place to place having started off my internet meddling with startups and dotcoms that came and went like the wind.

But to be truly honest, I am always a bit suspicious with folk who change jobs more than underwear.

There's nothing wrong with making sure you find a job and company that fit you best, but one has to wonder, when someone switches jobs with excessive frequency, whether it's because they've yet to find something that fits them best or whether they're just unable to fit in anywhere on account of their own issues.

There's a reason why HR folk and hiring personnel put weight in to a person's longevity at previous employers. It can and often is an accurate reflection upon the person's ability to adapt, commit, and produce. So I don't think people are doing themselves any great favors by failing to find comfort where they are, regardless of where that may be.

As has been mentioned in this thread, really the only kind of situation in which a person will find the terms of their employment completely fine with their personal preferences is through running their own business and being their own boss. And so the premise of being an employee in and of itself requires the ability to adapt and... Just... Deal. Rather than high tail it out as soon as the vibe don't feel right.

It's never fair to assume too much about anyone, but oftentimes you can't help but wonder when people move around too much.