Are you in ‘vacancy chain’ or looking for new shell like hermit crab? Career growth message for corporate employees

Hermit crabs can easily alleviate the corporate employees from their chronic concern pertaining to job change. All most all employees face the jig-saw of whether to change the job or continue in the same corporate.

When promotion is not given, the increment and incentive are not so attractive or due respect is not there in the organization, naturally most employees would seriously try to move to other organizations. They would try to know the possible vacancies elsewhere, modify their curriculum vitae to look so attractive. Most instances, they may not apply for job elsewhere.

If they get selected elsewhere, they become ‘hamlet’ oscillates between ‘to be or not to be’. They possibly even ask to the self, whether they should wait for the next year for promotion, good increment and incentive or join the new organization.

Other set of people in the corporate may wonder whether a job change will really give career growth. How sure that the culture in other organization will not be as same as the current one?

One can easily find complete answers to all the doubts if people wish to observe and learn some simple management essence from hermit crab.

Hermit crabs, unlike other crustacean, have a very soft abdomen which is not calcified. To avoid the attack of the predator due to its soft abdomen, hermit crabs always choose to reside inside the empty shells of gastropod or sea shell or sea snails.

The hermit crabs used to always carry the shell with them. They have to find a new and bigger shell frequently and only then they can grow. If they remain in the same shell, the space in the shell will certainly limit their growth. Hence they have to frequently change their shell. Maximum growth possible for a hermit crab is absolutely and directly depending upon how soon and how frequently it could find another bigger shell to reside.

The message is clear. Those who frequently change the job will get maximum exposure and expertise and grow well. If someone remain in the same organization will certainly find difficulty to grow as the space available to them will be limited.

The smartest hermit crab changes its shell regularly and grows with the least obstacle or hindrance. The employees in the corporate should find their answer from the unique approach of the hermit crab. If it fails to find a big shell of sea snail or gastropod etc., would remain small and die soon.

The importance of shell change and its implications are well known to the hermit crabs. These groups of animals are considered very primitive and primordial. Employees should remember that frequent job change is inevitable for growth. But they should choose bigger corporate where the career growth and opportunities are high.

The hermit crabs also convey another important message to the employees those who prefer to remain in the same corporate. For shell change, the hermit crabs follow ‘vacancy chains’. The biggest crab when it shifts to the next one, its shell become empty and the next in the order would occupy it. Next in the order will use the previous one and the process would continue. Here, the chance of the hermit crabs finding a shell depends on how soon the biggest crab gets a new shell. The same situation also may happen in the corporate. Only when the senior most people get promotion, the person next to him can move upward. That would create limited scope for growth and not the ability, only the availability of a shell becomes the key criteria for ones growth.

The question is whether the employees should prefer to stay in the queue and follow the ‘vacancy chains’ or becomes discoverers in finding new ‘shells’ elsewhere and grow, certainly a hermit crab cannot answer.

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd.