Upside: There's always the possibility of attracting a great new hire. Downside: It makes employees very uncomfortable to know they're "disposable" (or "not good enough", or "not what we're looking for"). It also gives the appearance that the store has a high employee turnover.

I agree with MJB--if you're looking to build employee morale and loyalty, it's not the way to do it. You want them watching the door for customers, not looking over their shoulder.

There are a zillion times an employee gets pregnant, or one wants a vacation, or you need extra help for Christmas--what's wrong with always being on the look out. You care about your staff, you don't want to fire them, you're just looking for more trained help and if keeping the sign up keep them on their toes even better

'Predictably Irrational': Keeping (too many) options open... You have stumbled into one of the black holes of human psychology. You often write about the value of good employees and building a team. In some sense, you are in partnership with your employees. With that in mind, how would you feel if your husband, your marital partner, had a yearly contract with a dating service, just to see if something better came along? When you limit your options, you gain greater focus. www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/26/healthscience/sntierney.php

I agree with JACK800 about the issue of having too many options, and found the the article attached interesting. Moreover, as a customer, nothing signals instability at a retailer more than a continuous Help Wanted sign. This alone would stop me from making a large purchase, for concern that the store would not honor policies, may close, etc. Having the blurb on a website however seems fine, and a good way of attracting the best salespeople, since a good salesperson should always research a company they want to work for prior anyway (including checking the prospective company's)website.

This used to be known as the "Policy of Fear" If you think your staff need keeping on their toes you should have the guts to tell them and do something about it

This used to be known as the "Policy of Fear" If you think your staff need keeping on their toes you should have the guts to tell them and do something about it

If you keep it up and don't act on it, then it becomes meaningless. At the same time, you do want to have a good pool of candidates in case someone does leave on short notice. I'd suggest modifying your sign slightly to say something like "If you like shopping here, you might love working here. We're always looking for talented individuals who we can contact in the event a position becomes available." And be upfront with your current staff as to why you're doing this. That way you can build a file of valuable contacts without making your current employees feel disposable.

This could backfire on you. I too agree with Jack800. This can cause morale to erode and put uncertainty in their minds. How could this possibly help sales? Plus the fact they will not be 100% loyale knowing you keep your options open. I found you get the best results with staff by positive re-enforcement and daily shows of appreciation. I vote no.