Insider Finance - Business - A controversial tactic to get a raise

Nicholas Carlson, November 28, 2022

Hello, Insiders. I’ve been glued to footage of people pouring into the streets in China to protest COVID lockdowns. They can be heard shouting “No to COVID tests, yes to Freedom.” Protesters are holding up blank white sheets of paper — a new symbol of defiance against the Communist Party. 

It’s the country’s biggest protest since Tiananmen Square in 1989. Amid the chaos, a BBC journalist was handcuffed while covering protests in Shanghai — and a BBC spokesperson says he was “beaten and kicked by police” during the arrest. Here’s what to know about the protests. Now, let’s get to today’s other top stories. 

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The big story

Tyler Le/Insider

Employees are applying for jobs at other companies just to force their own employer to give them a raise.

Over the past year, in the midst of a nationwide hiring frenzy, employees have realized that being loyal to their employers doesn't pay. And now, senior correspondent Aki Ito reports, they’re taking matters into their own hands.

More and more candidates have begun applying for jobs with no intention of jumping ship, recruiters have found. Instead, they're just looking to land an offer that they can use to score a raise from their current employer.

Employers, not surprisingly, hate that people are using job offers as bargaining chips. If you weren't serious, hiring managers are complaining, you shouldn't have wasted our time. And the bosses scrambling to put together counteroffers are grumbling: Where's the loyalty? 

Employees are clapping back: Loyalty isn't free.

Read the full story here.

Top reads

The man worked for Paris-based consultancy Cubik Partners (not pictured). Britt Erlanson/Getty Images

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Today’s sound bite

"A Florida woman is suing Kraft Heinz for $5 million because she says the 3.5 minute prep time on its microwavable Velveeta Shells & Cheese is misleading."

 Hear more on today’s episode of The Refresh from Insider.

Watch this

Artists in China have been making colorful puppets for 2,000 years. It is one of the oldest forms of entertainment, but today, few still do this folk art, and artists worry about its future. Watch the full report. 

Today's team

This edition was curated by Nicholas Carlson, and edited by Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan, and Jordan Parker Erb. Get in touch: insidertoday@insider.com.

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