TOEFL® Writing Practice 96

Sample Essay

Company loyalty is a continually slippery slope concerning both the employer and the employee. However, the idea that companies should hire people for their lifetime is not a viable option. The ultimate goal of a company is to make money for owners and investors, which sometimes requires that people are fired or hired. Likewise, as businesses grow they have to change needs that must be addressed sometimes through evaluating personnel. Finally, innovative ideas sometimes require competition, and the security of a job does not inspire imaginative thinking. Therefore, it would be a poor practice for companies to implement a practice of hiring employees for life.

   To begin with, many companies have one major goal, make money. If this is the goal of a company then they often need to take steps that ensure the success of their business. The owners and investors of a company are trying to see a return profit on their initial money. This means that hiring an employee, giving them annual raises, and never firing them is likely to be a poor idea. Those employees will be making a large amount of money by the time they retire without perhaps changing jobs for their entire career. If a company could hire someone younger for less money, then it is in their best interest to do so. A company should thus hire people who will do the work for the least amount of money while turning maximum profits.

    Similarly, as businesses change with the times they will need to model their hiring and firing processes to accommodate change. When companies began using computers more and more it became necessary to have a workforce that was computer literate. Therefore some companies needed to fire employees who couldn’t meet the needs of the business and hire more qualified people. This same line of thought remains sound for any company that needs to be hiring constantly for adaptations to business.

    A final important reason for not hiring people for a lifetime is the role of competition in generating innovation. When a person’s job requires that they be constantly imaginative and inventive they need something motivating them. The fear of being replaced by someone better qualified and more talented encourages him or her to be the best employee. Competition among possible employees encourages the best work. Without that fear, they can easily become complacent, and a business is hurt by that person lacking motivation.

    These many important reasons justify hiring practices that don’t guarantee employees jobs for life. A company needs to constantly do what is best for making money and that doesn’t guarantee employment all the time. Similarly, businesses need to be competitive, which requires that they hire the most qualified people year to year, and constantly encourage innovative thinking. Only through these principles and contingent employment can a business be successful.