For an Employer a potential employee has a specific and inherent capacity to perform. Employers believe that capacity to perform is to be gained at a specific cost for future efficiency. Performance capacity of employees directly makes up for the profitability of the organization.
Performance is a product of learning capacity. It is measured by ability to recognize a stimulus or signals, understand them and to respond to them in the appropriate manner. The speed and quality of response depend on the type of motivation one may carry.
Employers hire people on the basis of factors such as individual ability, personality traits, capacity of effort input (physical strength), perception of the role, motivation, learning capacity, etc.
Employment is the state of relationship between an Employer and Employees. One without the other cannot be perceived. Both must derive appropriate gain out of it. Both must continuously prove themselves worthy of their roles. These proofs must not only occur at regular intervals, but sometimes as a surprise too.
Employees of the organization have different perception. They equate or relate the performance in terms of compensation and role promotion. When a person perceives these, he is well motivated, and may show increased learning capacity.
When an employee finds that when there are insufficient motivation, compensation, recognition and promotion in an organization their performance remains static. They may even plan a change of a job. For a person who seeks a fresh position, it is time to take advantage of the real and abstract gains of the past, such as experience, personal contacts, specialized knowledge etc. These can now be converted into materialistic things. Such a plan, however, is related to the age of the employee.
A person comparatively young in age must move around seeking various jobs to experience the mechanics of employment. A person not so young will have to select between reduced appreciation of his or her role and security of reasonable compensation, or enhanced appreciation and uncertain compensation.
Beyond a certain level of age, re-employment chances begin to tapper off. An aged person, though well experienced, has reduced learning capability, reduced reorientation faculties, less motivation, less migration capacity and re-establishment willingness. An aged person though well experienced, may have out-dated knowledge base. An organization looking for consolidation of their business may promote a person from within their cadre, rather then hire someone who will takes time to attune to their work-style.
Ideal age for job change is less than 32 years. At these age a person is ready to relocate, take a challenging position, is highly motivated and has reasonably fresh knowledge base. Between the age of 32 and 45 the chances of re-employment are less favourable. One needs to be extra ordinary leadership qualities, daring and willingness to align with new work culture. Post 45 years of age chances of job change are very rare, unless one has positioned own-self worthy of invitation to join as associate or consultant. The age level of 32 or 35 is considered ideal to start a new venture of own.
When, an employee leaves an employer the organization loses an asset, accumulated mass of knowledge and experience, personalized contacts, a person with proven mode of communication, secrets, patent procedures and formulas etc.
When an employer wishes to remove an employee, there are many legal hurdles, some are convertible into monetary terms. Instead of wasting efforts to surmount such hurdles, employers try to assign a different role, retrain, relocate, assign different tasks, provide punishments, curtail other advantages, to their employees.