A recruitment expert has warned workers no longer have the upper hand over their bosses and should think twice before making unrealistic demands.
Roxanne Calder, who is managing director at Sydney-based recruitment agency EST10, told Daily Mail the dynamic had shifted since the Covid pandemic.
Covid enabled employees to negotiate extra perks, which a lot of bosses gave into, because they were so desperate to lure them back into the office.
The extent of the perks some workers received were revealed when Sunroom co-founder Michelle Battersby created a TikTok asking followers to share their stories.
Ms Battersby said she had received a Jeep while others claimed their boss paid for their fertility treatment, degrees, visas, daycare, relocation and even spa days.
‘This year we’re starting to see a pushback and that’s not because it’s easier to get talent,’ Ms Calder said.
‘It’s because employers are starting to say, “I don’t think it worked”.’
Ms Calder explained employers were desperate for talent during the Covid pandemic and afterwards, so they were more likely to accept demands from their employees.
‘Instead of there just being a salary and saying “this is our environment, this is what we’re offering”, everything was thrown in there,’ she said.
‘It was like, bring your dog, cat, guinea pig, bean bags and ping pong table to work.
‘There were no limits. If there are no limits then you can’t blame employees for saying, “What else can I ask for?”‘
Ms Battersby had asked her TikTok followers on Tuesday what they had received from their company that wasn’t a ‘promotion or pay rise’.
The 33-year-old said she once received a Jeep Wrangler from a company she used to work for.
She told Daily Mail from her home in Los Angeles that while she was ‘a little’ surprised to get the vehicle, she presented good arguments.
‘The key thing is to tie your performance back to how you’ve helped achieve company goals and objectives,’ she said.
‘Asking for perks shouldn’t be personal. It should be fact-based and is an opportunity to remind the company how valuable your efforts are.
‘Managers love to see team members pushing their own careers forward, advocating for themselves and thinking outside the box.’
Ms Battersby said she wouldn’t recommend workers ‘come straight out of the gate’ and ask for a car or an ‘overseas holiday’.
‘But if you find yourself being told that you’re doing good work but the company can’t offer you a pay rise at that time I’d be seeking out clarity in terms of how you get from A to B,’ she said.
The responses to Ms Battersby’s TikTok post came rolling in, with people sharing the unbelievable demands that had been met.
One person even said they received $5,000 from their employer to pay for their lawyer when they were getting divorced.
Ms Calder said a lot of those requests simply don’t provide the employer with any benefit.
‘I always maintain for employers, whatever you’re offering in terms of perks and benefits, it has to work for the business. It has to give a return on investment,’ she said.
‘I think we’re going to see a push back from things like TikTok outbursts from employees too.’
Ms Calder warned if you ask for a pay rise and get rejected, the next step shouldn’t be to see what perks you can obtain.
‘You’re better off going for a genuine need. Otherwise, it comes across as you’re being a taker, and that is where a pushback is coming from,’ she said.