Who you gonna call? “Ghosting” trend has employees vanishing from the workplace

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Sounds like a strange corporate horror film doesn’t it?

But according to job website CV-Library, the trend is a worry as 2.8m workers have “ghosted” employers by removing themselves from the workplace without warning, choosing to snub the traditional method of handing in a formal letter of resignation.

Interestingly, the company noted that ghosting is a term generally used in the dating world. It’s way to describe people that end relationships with love interests by suddenly ending all communication without explanation.

And to think two-thirds of workers have admitted to office romances – perhaps that’s why the lines are being blurred. You have to wonder if these phantom staff members are now ending romantic ties with formal resignation letters.

Ghosting in the workplace is apparently most common during the recruitment process. When looking to find the source of the vanishing act, CV-Library discovered 52.8 per cent of UK workers said employers have ghosted them following interview stages.

Comparatively, just 14 per cent of employed Brits said they have ghosted a recruiter, which suggests it’s bosses that are responsible for the rising army of invisible men and women. Indeed, it’s a case of tit for tat as workers say they’re not afraid to turn the tables on the powers that be after being met with AWOL antics.

Read more strange workplace developments:

• The five weirdest job roles available in the UK
• Graduates prioritise appearance over research to look “sexy” for interviewers
• The shocking mistakes made during interviews – by (drunk and flatulent) interviewers

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With 8.9 per cent of workers confessing to an abrupt company departure, the top four reasons for abandoning ship are:

(1) Being mistreated by management

(2) Finding better job prospects with immediate start-dates

(3) Constantly facing unrealistic workloads

(4) Lack of flexibility in work schedules

“The recruitment process is tedious for both job hunters and employers, but that’s no excuse for either party to simply ignore the other. Now that the trend has made its way into the workplace, it’s critical that businesses correct this behaviour. If a candidate is constantly ignored by employers, a signal is being sent to workers that the behaviour is acceptable,” warned Lee Biggins, founder and MD of CV-Library.

“Businesses ought to be extremely cautious moving forward; the job market is flourishing which means there are plenty of opportunities available for workers to jump ship if they want to. It’s clear that two-way communication is more important now than ever before, as many of the reasons behind a worker ghosting their job are issues that could be resolved through support from management.”

Glassdoor revealed a list of the top 25 jobs Britain has to offer in 2016 and the salaries to expect, which may have fuelled the ghosting fire over the past month.

By Zen Terrelonge

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