The Perpetual Paycheck: 5 Secrets to Getting a Job, Keeping a Job, and Earning Income for Life in the Loyalty-Free Workplace - Softcover
Right now is the perfect time to be looking for a job, because there are more opportunities for employees than ever before.
That may seem hard to believe... but it’s true.
Few people recognize what’s happening in today’s job market. Even fewer people have the tools they need to access those rewards. Today’s workplace may be loyalty-free, but this environment can propel employees to assert their workplace independence and use this unprecedented flexibility to truly soar.
The Perpetual Paycheck: 5 Secrets to Getting a Job, Keeping a Job, and Earning Income for Life in the Loyalty-Free Workplace is a nuts-and-bolts guide you can use to not only survive, but thrive. Offering a contrarian approach backed up by actual current workplace experiences, author Lori Rassas provides practical, accessible job-finding secrets for those looking for a new job, those looking to solidify their current position, those looking to advance their position, and those looking to change careers or industries.
Don’t you deserve a good job with benefits that provides you with the economic security to live a full life? The answer is a resounding yes, and there has never been a better time to achieve that than now. Improved material benefits are within everyone’s reach—and by adopting the five attitudes and approaches outlined in this book, you’ll be that much closer to having them in your grasp."synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Author:
Describe the purpose of your book in a few sentences.
The Perpetual Paycheck: 5 Secrets to Getting a Job, Keeping a Job, and Earning Income for Life in the Loyalty-free Workplace is an accessible nuts-and-bolts guide for those looking for a new job, those looking to solidify their current position, those looking to move up, and those looking to change careers or industries. The book introduces job seekers to the loyalty-free workplace that exists today, and provides instructions to not just survive a workplace that is commitment-free, but thrive in it.
You write about today's workplace being loyalty-free. Can you elaborate on this a bit and explain why it's important for potential employees to be aware of this?
Absolutely. The concept of the loyalty-free workplace is the overriding theme for this book because this reality should inform every employment decision individuals make. The fact is, an employment relationship is a business relationship, and so employees need to start to view it in that way. In the past, we had more leeway in this regard because our jobs tended to be fairly secure, and annual raises and promotional advancement were the norm. Today, for a number of reasons, things have changed. In order to thrive in this environment, we need to adapt.
You say that now is the perfect time to be looking for a job. Why is this?
The workplace environment has changed from a place where co-workers were viewed as second families, and employers and employees entered into lifelong, mutually beneficial relationships, to one with an expectation that everyone needs to look out for him or herself. While this may seem counterintuitive, this is actually a good thing because it lets employees know exactly where they stand--i.e, they are in constant danger of losing the income they need in order to survive. This makes an employee's decision to seek career opportunities that offer more compensation the only rational and, more importantly, the expected response.
This new environment offers incredibly opportunities for individuals to find a better job and to have no unwanted gaps in your stream of income--in other words, to have a perpetual paycheck. The key is acknowledging and accepting the workplace as it is, and then using every component of it to your advantage.
Who do you think would most benefit from reading this book?
The Perpetual Paycheck provides a contrarian approach to the workplace, so that anyone who has a job, or is looking for a job, will benefit from learning about the environment. One of the reasons I decided to write this book was because I often found that I was providing similar advice to people who were in all phases of their careers--from college graduates, to people who were recently laid off, to career changers looking for their next chapters to begin. The workplace is loyalty-free, so you need to understand what that means, and adapt your approach to respond to it.
You have a lot of experience in employment, having been an employment attorney, coach, and professor with close to two decades of experience. What first got you interested in helping others with their employment goals?
Working in the employment field always seems to be a natural transition for me. My parents ran a family-owned and operated business, which was started in 1930 by my grandfather and his brothers. My dad started to work there in 1964, and just recently retired. My grandfather also worked there until he passed away in 2004, just a few days before his 95th birthday. Most of the employees worked there for two decades or more. Because of this, dinner conversations between my parents, my three sisters and me often included robust discussions about employment matters.
Looking back, I can definitely see this cultural shift from those dinner conversations as a young child, where employees planned to work for a single employer for their entire careers (based on a sense of mutual loyalty and respect), to the workplace we have today, where the relationship lasts only until either party to the working relationship finds a better option. I've had countless conversations with my dad about the fact that things have changed and that he would not have been able to run the successful business he did, had he started in today's workplace (as opposed to the workplace that existing decades ago).
What was the most interesting thing you uncovered while doing research for the book?
Just how prevalent the loyalty-free workplace is! Throughout my career, and certainly through the process of writing this book, I talked about these workplace strategies with people in all different phases of their careers, and it was truly fascinating to hear about their shared experiences. The experience of an executive earning six figures was the same as that of a recent graduate who was not yet earning enough to move out of their family home, or a middle-manager looking to work in a new industry. To thrive in today's workplace, employees and job-seekers need to understand and accept the realities of the loyalty-free environment. The Perpetual Paycheck provides guidance to do just that.
How do you think reading your book will impact people?
I think initially this may seem like a real eye-opener for most people. But, as people work their way through it, I am confident they will find themselves nodding their heads in agreement and quickly recognizing that many of the scenarios I discuss in the book are the exact kind of situations that they are facing today. It is prevalent, we are working in it. But once you identify what's happening, you can take advantage of the many opportunities to earn a steady paycheck today, even in a loyalty-free workplace. The book shows readers how.
What do you think will be the biggest misconception about your book?
I think are two.
One is, since I talk a lot about the importance of putting yourself in a position so that you always take advantage of opportunities that enable you to earn as much money as possible throughout your working life, some believe that I am suggesting that everyone should abandon their passions, work for money (and for money only), and look out for no one but themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. I consider myself to be an incredibly loyal employee, and I am confident my prior employers would agree with that characterization. I am also incredibly passionate about my work. However, I achieved the most success in securing and maintaining employment only after I embraced the realities of the loyalty-free workplace and adapted my approach to securing and maintaining jobs to those realities. The fact is that there is nothing inherently inconsistent with being a loyal employee and working in a loyalty-free workplace.
I loved my prior jobs, but when it became clear that there were no more opportunities for advancements (in terms of learning new skills and more compensation), I had to make the decision to leave so that I could continue to advance. That wasn't always an easy decision to make. But, if you think in terms of one's career path (which is to grow and more forward whenever possible), it did not make sense for me to remain in place--and, in all fairness, it did not make sense for my employers to promote me, just for the sake of promoting me. I think most people today would agree with that.
Going back to the idea of passion, the book in no way discourages readers from pursuing their passions. In fact, I encourage the opposite. By seeking out opportunities for advancement and/or additional compensation, you will always put yourself in the position to fund your passions (be that traveling, sailing, collecting art, or whatever they happen to be) and develop them to your heart's content.
About the Author:
The Perpetual Paycheck: 5 Secrets to Getting a Job, Keeping a Job, and Earning Income for Life in the Loyalty-free Workplace is an accessible nuts-and-bolts guide for those looking for a new job, those looking to solidify their current position, those looking to move up, and those looking to change careers or industries. The book introduces job seekers to the loyalty-free workplace that exists today, and provides instructions to not just survive a workplace that is commitment-free, but thrive in it.
You write about today's workplace being loyalty-free. Can you elaborate on this a bit and explain why it's important for potential employees to be aware of this?
Absolutely. The concept of the loyalty-free workplace is the overriding theme for this book because this reality should inform every employment decision individuals make. The fact is, an employment relationship is a business relationship, and so employees need to start to view it in that way. In the past, we had more leeway in this regard because our jobs tended to be fairly secure, and annual raises and promotional advancement were the norm. Today, for a number of reasons, things have changed. In order to thrive in this environment, we need to adapt.
You say that now is the perfect time to be looking for a job. Why is this?
The workplace environment has changed from a place where co-workers were viewed as second families, and employers and employees entered into lifelong, mutually beneficial relationships, to one with an expectation that everyone needs to look out for him or herself. While this may seem counterintuitive, this is actually a good thing because it lets employees know exactly where they stand--i.e, they are in constant danger of losing the income they need in order to survive. This makes an employee's decision to seek career opportunities that offer more compensation the only rational and, more importantly, the expected response.
This new environment offers incredibly opportunities for individuals to find a better job and to have no unwanted gaps in your stream of income--in other words, to have a perpetual paycheck. The key is acknowledging and accepting the workplace as it is, and then using every component of it to your advantage.
Who do you think would most benefit from reading this book?
The Perpetual Paycheck provides a contrarian approach to the workplace, so that anyone who has a job, or is looking for a job, will benefit from learning about the environment. One of the reasons I decided to write this book was because I often found that I was providing similar advice to people who were in all phases of their careers--from college graduates, to people who were recently laid off, to career changers looking for their next chapters to begin. The workplace is loyalty-free, so you need to understand what that means, and adapt your approach to respond to it.
You have a lot of experience in employment, having been an employment attorney, coach, and professor with close to two decades of experience. What first got you interested in helping others with their employment goals?
Working in the employment field always seems to be a natural transition for me. My parents ran a family-owned and operated business, which was started in 1930 by my grandfather and his brothers. My dad started to work there in 1964, and just recently retired. My grandfather also worked there until he passed away in 2004, just a few days before his 95th birthday. Most of the employees worked there for two decades or more. Because of this, dinner conversations between my parents, my three sisters and me often included robust discussions about employment matters.
Looking back, I can definitely see this cultural shift from those dinner conversations as a young child, where employees planned to work for a single employer for their entire careers (based on a sense of mutual loyalty and respect), to the workplace we have today, where the relationship lasts only until either party to the working relationship finds a better option. I've had countless conversations with my dad about the fact that things have changed and that he would not have been able to run the successful business he did, had he started in today's workplace (as opposed to the workplace that existing decades ago).
What was the most interesting thing you uncovered while doing research for the book?
Just how prevalent the loyalty-free workplace is! Throughout my career, and certainly through the process of writing this book, I talked about these workplace strategies with people in all different phases of their careers, and it was truly fascinating to hear about their shared experiences. The experience of an executive earning six figures was the same as that of a recent graduate who was not yet earning enough to move out of their family home, or a middle-manager looking to work in a new industry. To thrive in today's workplace, employees and job-seekers need to understand and accept the realities of the loyalty-free environment. The Perpetual Paycheck provides guidance to do just that.
How do you think reading your book will impact people?
I think initially this may seem like a real eye-opener for most people. But, as people work their way through it, I am confident they will find themselves nodding their heads in agreement and quickly recognizing that many of the scenarios I discuss in the book are the exact kind of situations that they are facing today. It is prevalent, we are working in it. But once you identify what's happening, you can take advantage of the many opportunities to earn a steady paycheck today, even in a loyalty-free workplace. The book shows readers how.
What do you think will be the biggest misconception about your book?
I think are two.
One is, since I talk a lot about the importance of putting yourself in a position so that you always take advantage of opportunities that enable you to earn as much money as possible throughout your working life, some believe that I am suggesting that everyone should abandon their passions, work for money (and for money only), and look out for no one but themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. I consider myself to be an incredibly loyal employee, and I am confident my prior employers would agree with that characterization. I am also incredibly passionate about my work. However, I achieved the most success in securing and maintaining employment only after I embraced the realities of the loyalty-free workplace and adapted my approach to securing and maintaining jobs to those realities. The fact is that there is nothing inherently inconsistent with being a loyal employee and working in a loyalty-free workplace.
I loved my prior jobs, but when it became clear that there were no more opportunities for advancements (in terms of learning new skills and more compensation), I had to make the decision to leave so that I could continue to advance. That wasn't always an easy decision to make. But, if you think in terms of one's career path (which is to grow and more forward whenever possible), it did not make sense for me to remain in place--and, in all fairness, it did not make sense for my employers to promote me, just for the sake of promoting me. I think most people today would agree with that.
Going back to the idea of passion, the book in no way discourages readers from pursuing their passions. In fact, I encourage the opposite. By seeking out opportunities for advancement and/or additional compensation, you will always put yourself in the position to fund your passions (be that traveling, sailing, collecting art, or whatever they happen to be) and develop them to your heart's content.
Lori Rassas currently has her own consulting practice offering training workshops, providing guidance on employment law and human resources matters, and working with individuals trying to navigate the workplace. She also regularly gives career advice to students from diverse populations through her work as a member of the adjunct faculty at The Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University, Fordham University School of Law, The Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution at Cornell University, and Berkeley College. Lori is also a recognized expert on employment law and career issues, and has been quoted in a number of publications, including The New York Times, Forbes.com, Nextavenue.org, CNNMoney, AARP.org, Fortune, USA Today College, Newsday, American Medical News, and CareerBuilder.com. Contact the author on LinkedIn, visit her website at lorirassas.com, follow her on Twitter (@lorirassas) or connect with her consulting practice on Facebook at facebook.com/loribrassas.
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- PublisherCreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
- Publication date2015
- ISBN 10 1508793522
- ISBN 13 9781508793526
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages194
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ISBN 13: 9781508793526
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