Although different offices have different functions and external relations, internally, there are only two types of relationships: superiors and subordinates, and colleagues. Relationships like father-son, brother, or husband-wife do not belong to the office’s internal dynamics. Since we’re discussing the leadership and collaborative relationships within offices, not the various functions of offices belonging to different countries, groups, or enterprises, we can define the current office as “any place that includes superior-subordinate or colleague relationships, is called an office.” Everyone has multiple identities, and each identity also encompasses a social relationship. For example, as a father, you have a father-son or father-daughter relationship; as an older sister, you have a sister-sister or sister-brother relationship. Being a boss or an employee is just another of these many identities. Wherever there are bosses and employees, whether within the same office space, across the entire enterprise, or even outside the company’s premises, there exists a relationship of superiors and colleagues.
Of course, this “place” isn’t limited to a single room. With the advancement of modern communication technology, the spread of networks, video, and mobile communication systems, tasks like video conferencing and online meetings have expanded the concept of an “office.” For instance, when you travel with a supervisor for business discussions or inspections, even though you’re outside the company’s scope, the dynamics of superiors and colleagues still apply. Some managers spend their days traveling by car or plane, moving between regions, and manage through phones and the internet, thus extending the office to a national or even global scale.
Is it really hard to find a job?
Entering a gang for the first time, even if it’s not a den of dragons and tigers, can still make you tread carefully. Usually, a burly man with a stern face, who turns out to be a minor leader in the gang, would approach you. He’d pat your shoulder and say, “Times are tough for employment, but if you work hard here, our gang has a future. When we dominate the scene, you might even get to be a small leader.” Or he might come over, spittle flying, gesturing wildly, and say, “Kid, behave here. I can recruit a bunch like you with a snap of my fingers, so do what I tell you, or you’re out.” Then he’d hand you a pile of gang rules to study, preparing you for the grand task of carrying water and sweeping floors.
At this point, even if you’re not trembling in fear, you’d feel a slight unease. Now that you’re part of the gang, but still unsure about the situation, you might start to worry, thinking: “Is it really this hard to find a job? I need to be careful.” And indeed, after your experience at the job fair, you’ve felt the intense competition in today’s job market, the pressure is real.
Starting a gang might be easy now, but there are many more people venturing into this arena. Those with ambition and ability leave their hometowns to make their mark. After mastering martial arts, joining a renowned gang is seen as a mark of success by many. So, whether educated by parents at home or learning martial arts in the mountains, most aren’t doing it for personal cultivation or to delve into the true essence of martial arts; they’re mostly aiming to join a good gang and secure a good position.
With so many people looking for work, practicing martial arts for a decade just to land a good job has led to a plethora of skilled individuals. Sometimes, dozens might vie for one position. But is it really as hard to find a job as they say, with skilled people everywhere looking for work?
Many lament that with university expansion, job fairs are crowded with people, making it hard to find a job. Conversely, many companies and enterprises face significant staffing shortages, struggling to find suitable candidates. Some believe employees are easy to find, as one job fair can yield a stack of resumes, reflecting the current employment situation. Yet, others say, “I resigned in the morning and got a new job offer by the afternoon,” indicating the high mobility of today’s workforce, where not only can bosses fire employees, but employees also frequently fire their bosses.
In reality, the job market today is a dual-edged sword. On one side, there are thousands competing at job fairs, handing out resumes in search of employment. On the other, companies invest heavily in recruitment but can’t find the right people, leaving many positions unfilled.
The reasons for this phenomenon are numerous. Geographically, cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, with their developed economies, offer more job opportunities, better compensation, and living conditions, attracting a large number of talents, leading to an imbalance in talent distribution across regions.
From an industry perspective, sectors like electronics, IT, finance, and information technology have consistently better employment prospects, with high demand for talent each year. Conversely, other industries struggle, leading to a disparity in talent supply and demand.
Then there’s the issue of worker quality. Within the same industry, the need for different levels of talent varies. While the demand might be high, there’s often a shortage of experienced, skilled, and high-quality personnel like senior managers, high-tech project managers, skilled engineers, and the “software blue-collar” workers in IT.
These analyses merely touch on the supply and demand dynamics in employment. From the perspective of the value standards between bosses and employees, some employees always think the grass is greener elsewhere, often feeling their rewards do not match their expectations, and with an active job market, resignations and job-hopping are common, leading to frequent thoughts of changing jobs. Similarly, some bosses, seeing the tight employment market, might undervalue their employees’ capabilities, offering lower salaries, which leads to a mismatch between effort and reward, prompting employees to seek better opportunities or bosses to dismiss them in hopes of finding someone better, only to find themselves endlessly searching without meeting their “standards.” In this fierce competition, understanding one’s own situation allows for the formulation of corresponding strategies. Knowing the boss’s mindset helps one to know how to behave and perform. While there are many job seekers, the demand is equally high. How can one stand out among the numerous applicants to secure the desired position? Some bosses might feel that they pay their employees too much, leading to inadequate work, while the employees themselves aspire for promotion. How can they gain the boss’s attention and improve their salary and benefits? It’s actually quite simple: enhance your own capabilities. Outstanding skills, diligent work, and remarkable achievements not only help you establish a firm footing in the company, secure relevant positions, and negotiate with the boss but also serve as a contingency plan for unexpected events, career changes, or job hopping. As your abilities increase, your boss will naturally value you more and offer corresponding salary and position benefits. If the compensation you receive is far below what you deserve, and you decide to change jobs, these skills won’t stay with the company but will be yours for life.
Be a Person Before You Take Action
Don’t lounge around with your legs crossed in the gang, don’t drink and snack during your shift, and don’t get into heated arguments with minor leaders over trivial matters. You shouldn’t think that being a gangster means being unreasonable or using foul language all the time.
