“We are a family” or “we give you free fruit and coffee”: what the new job offers say about the company

“Fresh fruit always available.”

“Recharge your batteries in our

coffee corner

.”

“Pool and table football area to relax.”

“Includes

gym pass

.”

Some young companies (and others not so young that operate in creative sectors) include these types of incentives in the jobs they offer on LinkedIn.

They do not provide clues about financial remuneration, but they do provide an attractive or superfluous package (depending on how you look at it) that can be interpreted in various ways.

The first would have to do with projecting a work environment different from that of large corporations.

“To attract young and creative talent, incentives such as

coffee corners

or fruit trays may sometimes seem superficial, but they are part of a broader offer aimed at creating a pleasant and stimulating work environment.

And it results in the fact that companies, especially

start-ups

, are giving greater attention to the well-being of employees by offering comforts,” says Israel Carrasco, professor of the master's degree in Human Resources Management and Management at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR). and partner at Happyforce.

A second interpretation would be associated with the low budgets that companies have at the beginning of their career.

Borja Ussía, general director of RightHand, a digital talent recruitment and development company, clarifies: “Many times companies that are starting out have to compete beyond salaries.

In the work environment, more and more, things that previously remained in the personal sphere are incorporated: free coffee or fruit are details that show the value they provide to make you feel comfortable.

Do you feel more cared for and valued by these actions?

Generally not, but when you feel comfortable, your performance is greater, and small details sometimes achieve great things.

Another question is whether it is necessary to add it to the description of a vacancy.

A lot of fruit is sometimes a little indigestible and other times it brightens your day.”

More information

'Cleaninfluencers' or why we are fascinated by cleaning content on social networks

As with

greenwashing —those

marketing

techniques

that companies resort to to present their product as greener than it is—in the workplace, people are beginning to talk about another

wash

:

healthwashing

.

In the midst of the debate on mental health, companies are beginning to be more aware of the needs and well-being of their employees. The problem comes when, as in Ussía's metaphor, fruit stops being a joy and becomes indigestible.

That is when those job offers, no matter how good they look, are not consistent with the substance of their actions.

“Once they sell you the motorcycle, when you get into the company you see that it is a completely different reality, hiding not very ethical practices.

In the end, from my point of view, it has to do with whether these are authentic, sustainable and coherent with the organizational culture.

It is what I call a paint and tin policy,” says Carrasco.

Because companies no longer risk their reputation only with their clients, but also among their employees: “On Glassdoor, for example, you see a lot of opinions for or against, even an assessment of what your company is like and your well-being policies.

And everything you say you are, you really are, with opinions based on comments from people who have already worked there,” he adds.

Between Anglicisms and informal jargon

Another tactic that new recruiters employ is the use of colloquial language, sometimes even accompanied by

emojis

.

“We kick you out of the office on Fridays at 2:00 p.m.,” reads a Linkedin offer with a drawing of running sneakers.

In a work environment, the verb “echar” is, perhaps, the most feared in the entire dictionary, but some companies already dare to use it to make it clear that the schedule is met in their offices.

“Emoticons are good extras, but we cannot forget that the important thing is that the description of the job and the company is clear.

Let the form not eat the background.

In general,

start-ups

use informal and authentic language to attract employees, emphasizing innovation, transparency and collaborative culture,” explains Ussía.

“When you see an offer with emoticons and a more informal tone, it is because you want to convey closeness to the candidate, to say that we are authentic here and that you can be yourself from the first moment.

But many times it is not the most accurate language, which is why it is good to contact specialized companies that are capable of proposing and attracting diverse talent, which really helps the company in adding value.”

Some young companies (and others not so young that operate in creative sectors) include this type of incentives in the jobs they offer.Willie B. Thomas (Getty Images)

Language matters.

The products are no longer the best on the market, but rather the ones that are the most “cool”.

And hierarchies disappear to form a big family.

“A family unit is made up of between 3 and 20 people, for example.

The metaphor here could be that we are small and therefore horizontal.

You can access everyone and we will have a super close relationship,” explains Carrasco, who sees more than one connotation in transferring the concept of family to the workplace.

“But if we are a family, what wouldn't you do for your family?”

Which would lead us to interpret the availability of the hired person far beyond the office environment and working hours.

The professor of the master's degree in Human Resources Management and Management at UNIR also believes that this small nucleus that may initially exist will end up being lost due to the increase in business: “With the growth of the

start-up

itself that is lost.

At first there were five of us, but now there are 50 of us and I no longer talk to everyone.

Then we are no longer a family and we start to be a company.

And that is something that start-ups

have to take care of

because there is a change between the expectations or idealization of the beginning with what it is becoming at the end, with departments, structure, bureaucracy, hierarchization...

And there can also be a lack of commitment and a possible departure of founders or people who were there from the beginning.”

And the new hires arrive.

Company looks for superheroes

Added to the job insecurity to which young people are subjected is the frustration generated by impossible job offers.

Some companies look for recent graduates with extensive work experience, an extensive network of contacts, several specializations and a native level in several languages, if you can be born in several places at the same time.

“The gurus say that talent is scarce.

I believe that it is not scarce, but that we are asking for pears from the elm.

We want a junior person to come with 10 years of experience, five degrees, three languages ​​and who will earn 600 euros for internships.

That's not talent, and it's illegal.

Companies have to begin to define and specify: what talent they need to fill a certain job position or a certain responsibility.

And based on the ideal talent, I will be able to compare it with the people who apply for it and begin to define and evaluate.

Sometimes I think they shoot from above, for elevation, and all real people stay very far from that ideal profile that is almost impossible to cover,” says Carrasco.

The new offices also have different environments to relax or change the scene. Portra (Getty Images)

For his part, Ussía recognizes that these cases can occur due to lack of organization: “Sometimes you come across offers that seem to ask for superheroes.

This may be a sign that we need to adjust our expectations or that we are lacking a bit of organization.

“We want to find the ideal candidate, but without it seeming like an impossible mission.”

And he adds that to achieve this “the offer must be clear and sincere, as if we were chatting with you in a coffee.

We want you to know exactly what to expect, from job responsibilities to what you can expect from us in terms of salary and benefits.

“We want you to be excited to join our team, and that starts with being honest with you from the beginning.”

The CEO of RightHand also emphasizes that the job search should never be one-way: “The company is looking for a specific profile, but the candidate should also be able to decide if the position fits their career.”

Carrasco adds: “There is a greater balance between supply and demand, and it is very good because a negotiation takes place.

It is no longer: 'Hey, this is what it is', but rather we enter into a negotiation of what I offer you, how you value it and if I feel comfortable working with you."

Or, what is the same, the

winwin

mentality that the new job offers talk about.