Plain old cultural inertia might play a big role here: businesses copied their Modus Operandi from older large corporations (who, in turn, copied a lot from the

Plain old cultural inertia might play a big role here: businesses copied their Modus Operandi from older large corporations (who, in turn, copied a lot from the military) where a "job" could potentially last 10-30 years; so the criteria might stem from selecting whom you're going to spend this time. (Originally from Hungary where it's required; moved to the UK where it's highly discouraged )