Case in point: trying to convince me that someone's "work anniversary" is a real thing and that I'm supposed to care about it. No matter how many times LinkedIn urges me to, I can't bring myself to congratulate somebody on their work anniversary. In large part that's because I'm not sure what I'm saying congratulations for. Am I congratulating them on not getting fired? Or on sticking it out another year in a job I know they don't like? Or on managing to find a job they do like? Or on failing to find something better?
I prefer to congratulate somebody for an actual achievement. Just staying employed somehow doesn't quite seem like much of an achievement (getting a job is different). I suppose you could say the same about birthdays or wedding anniversaries, which I do celebrate. But arguably staying alive or keeping someone in love with you actually is, relatively speaking, an achievement worth noting.
Here's a thought: how about LinkedIn invites me to congratulate someone's employer on their work anniversary? I try to only connect with people who I know at some professional level and whose work I think is at least competent. So on their work anniversary, maybe I'd be more inclined to send their employer a message congratulating them on:
1) Not losing a good employee through bad leadership, poor business decisions or just general neglect; and
2) Making a wise hiring decision in the first place (which, if you've ever actually hired someone, you know is more of a crap shoot than any of us like to admit).
Because the truth is that it's often more of an achievement to keep a good person in a job than it is for that person to stay in a job.
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