I am not particularly fond of buffet style dining.

Often, the food is prepared hastily and the buffet concept can lead to extreme waste; selections that are less desirable are frequently left for the dishwasher to address. Patrons know that if they are not satisfied by their first selection, they can simply push their plate to the side and go back for something different.

Similarly, there are times when potential employees pick and choose jobs like buffet patrons choose their food from a buffet. We can also draw a parallel between a buffet line and how employers view candidates for their job openings.

The key to a committed employment relationship is for both the employee and the employer to individually strive to become the highest quality option that makes the employment experience satisfying for all parties involved.

Without quality food, buffet patrons will catch on and go elsewhere.

In today’s market, candidates often enter the employment relationship with a trial mindset. It is not uncommon for employees to leave their employer after only a few weeks on the job without thinking twice and often, without any communication.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the unemployment rate has been below 4% for a while, nationally.  Multiple sources report that there are officially more job opportunities than there are job seekers in the current market; something this nation has never experienced before.

Additionally, the BLS reports that there has been a steady increase in employees voluntarily leaving their jobs for new opportunities.

In many cases, employees just stop showing up to work which leaves the employer with the burden of compounding training costs, overtime costs, the potential for lost revenue and an open position that still needs to be filled. Employees are testing the quality of their new employer.

Much like the plate of green bean casserole, employers are being pushed to the side each and every day by unsatisfied employees.

Although candidates currently have more employment opportunities than ever before, and therefore often hold the power, it is important to be mindful of how job hopping appears to potential employers. As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility.

As HR Professionals, we see how job hopping lowers the quality of a job seeker’s resume and creates an uneven playing field when up against another candidate with stable work history. Maintaining a job for at least one year is a best practice that all employees should establish when considering a job change.

The data clearly shows that job seekers have options and are searching the buffet for the right employer, the best tasting employer.

The concept of the buffet experience is to offer multiple options of food with the hopes that patrons’ hunger will be satisfied. With all of the options buffets inevitably ignore many patrons’ desire for high quality food. Just as patrons will pass over undesirable dishes, in today’s challenging environment many employers are overlooked because they are known as a poor quality employer.

It is a mistake to believe that the job-hopping we are seeing in the current market is only due to the market conditions and not something an individual employer has control over. It is important to focus on what it takes to be a quality employer, the employer of choice, rather than to fixate on external factors that cannot be changed.

Often companies become preoccupied with how health benefits, pay and bonus structures compare to their competition. While this is critical, the value-percept theory expresses job satisfaction in terms of employees’ values and whether the job outcomes they experience satisfy those values. Value-percept studies suggest that supervision, coworkers and the work itself all have a much greater correlation to job satisfaction than pay or other external factors.

Employers must consider a focused approach in attracting and retaining top talent through offering the best possible overall work experience.

Buffets are wasteful. Waste can also be created when employers treat the employment relationship as a trial instead of an opportunity, especially when it comes to “contingent labor.” Employees are scrutinized from the outset at all levels, considered easily dispensable and often terminated within a few days if certain expectations aren’t quickly met. And so, the buffet waste continues to pile.

It is in the employer’s best interest to move from the buffet line to a carefully prepared meal. The staffing industry adage is that if you (the employer) treat employees as temporary they (the employees) will treat the employer as temporary.

It is critical that associate relations, employee development, job enrichment and training programs are all elevated as an antidote for underperforming employees to help them become great employees. Working to elevate these programs will not only help to elevate your workforce but will ultimately help to elevate your status as a candidate’s first choice.

In the meantime, we will continue to visit the buffet line for an experience that is never truly satisfying for either party.