“You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
If you saw that quote and said, “Interesting… Wouldn’t have thought of using an Austen quote in a recruitment blog…,” then I promise this will tie back in shortly.
If you saw that and said, “That sounds like something my recruiter would say to a potential employee…,” then this article is here to help your business!
Also, if you saw the quote above and had no idea it was from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, then do not worry! You are perfectly normal and there will not be a quiz at the end of this. So, take a deep and relaxing breath before continuing.
Today, the Lionzone blog is diving into love bombing. First associated with dating and romantic relationships, “love bombing” has been occurring within the recruitment realm for years. The BBC recently published an article that states the first signs are when looking at candidates for a job, recruiters will come on surprisingly strong. Instead of a formal interview process, potential workers are showered with compliments and praise; instead of a job description, they are only told how amazing it would be to have them on board with the company. Love bombing may not always be a calculated or planned strategy, but it is one that can have extremely negative effects for both the job applicant and the place of employment. One could say that, if the recruiting process is overly “ardent” to the prospective candidates, it will drive them away? This article aims to explain what love bombing is, what it can do to your new employees, and how to avoid it, immediately improving your retention rates when it comes to bringing in fresh talent for your company.
“How Deep Is Your Love”?
Love bombing isn’t necessarily malicious, at first. The job market for the last several years has favored the candidate, with many of them having several excellent choices when it comes to scoring a new job. To make up for this competitive atmosphere, recruiters have been really “showing the love.” They feel pressured to provide a steady stream of top-notch applicants, and, in order to have a pool of candidates for their client or employer, the recruiters have turned to flattery and high praise to attract them.
According to Forbes, it is much easier to see a love bombing in hindsight, which makes a lot of sense. It can be easy for recruiters and managers to get caught up in the excitement of finding a high value candidate for a job, just as it is exciting to be found and have a job promoted to you as a potential employee. It usually begins with excessive positivity and flattery, touting a person’s skills, background, education, etc. From there, a recruiter or supervisor will make promises of more compensation, a title increase, and general success at the new company, and they will make these assurances without any specific facts or numbers to back them up. Once an actual job offer comes in, the applicant finds that the salary isn’t what they thought it would be, or the job itself is not one that they thought they were being interviewed for in the beginning. At this point, most candidates feel that, because of all the praise they received early on, they are pressured to accept the job as it is. Often, when the applicant tries to ask any questions or make any changes to the offer, they are rebuffed by the recruiter and management; sometimes even beginning a cycle of gaslighting and further manipulation that will cause productivity to suffer or make the new employee want to leave immediately.
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
When it comes to love bombing outside of the workplace, the person being bombed may not want to, but they have the ability to call out the person using such a manipulative tactic. Putting both romantic and platonic friendships aside, love bombing goes over very differently in an office setting, however.
In the workplace, there are hierarchies and power structures in place that can subvert an employee’s desire to bring the manipulation to anyone in a higher position’s attention. Once an offer is accepted, the person who was love bombed into taking the job will finally come in, probably beaming after having so much praise heaped on them. When they see the actual environment of the office and see the real work load before them, if it is not what they were promised, the new worker will be disappointed and, perhaps even feel betrayed. If there is no compromise between what was promised by management and what was received, the employee will feel even worse, possibly even creating a toxic work environment around themselves and the rest of the office staff.
Previously hired staffers are not immune from this process. Some managers and supervisors have been found to exploit the plans and desires of currently employed workers by promising promotions and more pay, only to then leave the worker with more work and responsibility and none of the hoped for compensation. Once at this point, for both new and older employees, retention begins to decline, and the loss of workers will be felt in the workloads and morale of employees across the organization.
“Tainted Love”
If you suspect that someone in your company is using love bombing to attract or keep workers, be sure to collect evidence. Seek out someone from management to discuss the concerns with and be sure not to speak about it with anyone else. Gossip and hearsay will only make the situation worse. However, make sure the information you’re using is reliable and valid. Manipulation, particularly “love bombing” can make a person unsure of themselves. Is the employee really as fabulous as they were led to believe? Or are they the lesser creature their manipulator jumped on them as when the question of salary or workload first came up? Forbes says to “trust your instincts,” but they follow it up with better advice: “When you are confused or annoyed… take it as an emotional cue that you need to stop and deliberate.” Take a moment to think through all of the available information involving the love bombing, then you can work with your recruiters to be more cognizant of how they are treating potential employees.
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Meaghan Goldberg covers recruitment and digital marketing for Lionzone. A Patterson, GA native, after graduating from both Valdosta State University and Middle Tennessee State University, Meaghan joined Lionzone in 2018 as a digital recruitment strategist before becoming the social media manager.
Resources:
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230705-work-love-bombing-when-companies-come-on-too-strong
https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/love-bombing-in-the-workplace
https://hbr.org/2022/01/are-you-being-influenced-or-manipulated
https://www.meritogroup.com/corporate-love-bombing-what-to-expect-when-putting-in-your-resignation/
