Calling job hoppers 'punks'

First of all, if the company

First of all, if the company was giving him good enough reason to stay, he wouldn't be leaving.

Second, with corporations laying people whenever they feel like it, wiping pensions away, social security in doubt, and sending their jobs overseas and plenty of other reason why employees have less reason to be loyal to a single company, 'job-hoppers' are simply looking out for themselves because they can't trust that anyone else will.

So many companies treat IT people like commodities just as if they were fleet vehicles or office furniture... maybe even worse.

Like having to move to another state for a 6-month contract job with no benefits and only the possibility of getting hire on permanently? Like being expected to have the latest skill in the market but no employers want to train you?

This is the reality of many IT workers and in this atmosphere, if they are viewed as a commodity, why not go to the highest bidder?

After all, they have to make as much as they can now so they can pay for their own retirement once the industry deems them too old. Because the company and Uncle Sam sure can't be counted on to be there for them at the end of their careers.

'Job Hopper' = 'Survivor'

Punks? IT people change jobs

Punks?
IT people change jobs for many reasons...mostly because the envirnment has changed in some way. No growth, crappy pay, etc. Why stay? What about these added hours? Companies give us a salary and then later add on "OnCall" time...over weekends, nights etc. I didnt get a dime of added compensation for that....Do we work for free? I dont. I cant think on any jobs that have pulled this crap....I wont... I get paid. You want me to work late? No problem, pay me. You want me to come in on Sat and Sun, pay me. I guess there are junior sys admins who like to work for free...then work 24/7 for $40K a year until you burnout, get divorced and die....not me ... I enjoy life!

You know what I would tell

You know what I would tell the original wirter: 1.) He should only have to repay the $7000 that he actually recevied, since the employer withheld taxes and 2.) Why doesn't he just get the next employer to advance him the $7,000 he has to pay back - as a new signing bonus. His current employer did the same thing to encourange him to come to work for them, maybe the next employer will do the same! He can just keep rolling his signing bonuses forward.

I would so agree. The

I would so agree. The reason why us so called "Punk Job Hoppers" are job Hopping is because we cannot get into a good company and stay there. They outsource every damn job to other countries, like India for example. You cannot retire from a company like you use to. It's garbage. I agree with you Shaun. I am glad you posted this. Rick you suck

Below is the originial

Below is the originial "question" posed by the person wanting to keep their signing bonus. I'll let you decide for yourself if this is someone you would like working at your firm......

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I accepted a new position that included a $12,000 sign-on bonus to compensate me for bonuses I had to forego at my previous company to take the new job. The company kept $5,000 to pay taxes and paid me $7,000. My offer letter states that I must reimburse my new employer for the bonus if I leave voluntarily within the year. The job is different than promised, and I was recently contacted about a position at another company, which I would like to take. If I do, can my current company make me repay the bonus? If I have to repay it, would I repay the entire $12,000 or just the $7,000 I received? What if I find a way to make the company fire me instead of quitting?

-- Chicago

Wow, just found out I'm the

Wow, just found out I'm the source of some issues on this blog. I'm guessing Mr. Turnhill above was the guy wanting to keep his bonus? If not, he's still completely missed the point. I was commenting on an article in the Wall Street Journal, not really sure how it ended up here. But, my point was that this guy (in the article) had agreed to stay at the company for one year or else return his signing bonus. He was trying to figure out a way to leave AND keep the signing bonus. Whether you like the word punk or not, he's not a reputable guy and I stand by my derision of his attitude. How Mr. Turnhill turned that into some diatribe over freedom and workplace movement is beyond me. I can only assume he didn't see the original Wall Street article.

Heck yes, everyone can and should change jobs whenever they feel like it, but you also have a responsibility to honor any agreements made with these employers, which in this case meant to return the signing bonus.

If Mr.Sigler considers job

If Mr.Sigler considers job seekers to be punks, then I can say, that I want to be a punk. I've changed a few jobs within the last year and I agree with Shaun, it's hard to find yourself without seeking. You'll be successfull if you realy like what you do.

Hello to all jobhoppers

Hello to all jobhoppers here,

Where did you find these jobs to hop to?

Let's also keep in mind

Let's also keep in mind that, unless you work for a behemoth of an organization, it has become almost impossible to advance yourself if you remain with one company. Some people are quite content to be technicians all their lives, and that's fine; some of us are not, but the Cubs will win the World Series before we have an opportunity to move up within our companies.

Speaking in Mr. Sigler's

Speaking in Mr. Sigler's language I'm a punk, because I change my job too often. But I don't think that it's "bad". I'm just trying to find myself. It's my right.