Pink slips, slimony and your candidate

I'm pretty sure this post is a sh*t storm waiting to happen but perhaps I'll be surprised by the response. An area of the recession that hasn't received enough play is the nexus between pink slips and child support: What happens when the primary source of support is now out of a job?

Could salary discussion be related to child support?

How might this issue impact the way you recruit candidates?

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Permalink Reply by Dan Nuroo on March 29, 2009 at 9:47am

During the last IT downturn, I was horrified by a father, who was trying to "hide" (or creatively package) his income, when we'd offered him a job, so as to limit his levels of child support. I wasn't a father at the time, but now that I am, I couldn't think of short changing my kids.

Steve, i couldn't imagine not being able to find a way to support my kids, I sure hope these men (and women) find some type of support, the stress must be incredible.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on March 29, 2009 at 9:56am

To show you my ignorance, I didn't even consider that someone would ask to hide part of their compensation so as to escape alimony payments. That candidate of yours - when he asked to hide income, did you change your decision about him? Did he end up being someone who exhibited less than stellar ethics?

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Permalink Reply by Veronica A on March 29, 2009 at 1:02pm

Very interesting, and sad, article. Definitely something that has not received enough attention.

At my company, in Detroit, we are seeing a lot more candidates that are willing to accept any salary as long as its hiring than unemployment and/or no employment. I work at a not-for-profit so traditionally we've never been able to complete salary/benefits of the Big 3. Now, these candidates are more than willing to accept our modest salaries.

A few of our recruiters are hesitant to take these candidates that are willing to accept large salary decreases. The recruiters fear is that as the economy turns around these employees will be the first to leave, or that as soon as they accept the position they'll be shopping for a better paying opportunity. Others on the team feel that people are just coming to terms with the reality of the job market in Detroit.

I cannot imagine the pressure on these parents where one or both of the providers suffer a huge loss of income and then struggle to maintain a healthy happy lifestyle for their children.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Nuroo on March 29, 2009 at 5:39pm

Was a sales guy, in his first stint with an Agency. We struggled to get a reason not to hire, as he'd already signed. That said, it didn't take too long to find a reason to get rid of him.

Steve Levy said:

To show you my ignorance, I didn't even consider that someone would ask to hide part of their compensation so as to escape alimony payments. That candidate of yours - when he asked to hide income, did you change your decision about him? Did he end up being someone who exhibited less than stellar ethics?