No, this is not a post about child birth, although I do have an interesting tale of the birthing of my girl child.
No, this is a post about laboring as in working. Today is Labor Day. That is sort of an oxymoron in this day and age. This is truly my opinion and I am ready for any and all other points of view so bring it on my lovelies. I don't think the worker, as in the one who puts in an effort, takes pride in the outcome of their endeavors and is compensated for their 8 hours labor for 8 hours pay exist any longer.
This is not a politically based opinion but rather a praticial living point of view. I want you to know that my husband and I have always worked really hard for everything we have. He has for the almost 40 years we have been married, taken exactly 9 days sick leave. Worked longer hours to make sure the job got done. Done things for his employer off the clock because he saw the need to make that sacrifice for his future, hoping that this would pay off in respect, loyalty and security. Through the years we have seen less and less people interested in the same ideals.
I won't cast aspirtions on anyone except to say that working is not something people aspire to any longer. Having a paycheck is. I can't say that it is totally the workers fault. The bottom line has certainly taken over as the reason for employing folks. I can't remember "back in the day" an employer cutting hours, not offering benefits and having non trained, rude "who gives a shit" people work for them and respresent them to the public.....
None of this makes sense to me. People who don't care about each other is what the world has come too? Employers who take advantage of their workers????? Workers who don't do their jobs, don't come to work because they have sick leave not because they are ill, who only have a who cares attitude????
What happened to being good to each other? being nice? caring? On the part of either the employer or the employee....people in general?
As I type this both Shelley and Sweet Man are laboring at their jobs. She because she is loyal to her employer who can't afford to close the doors to the restaurant today. And Sweet Man because even if he is the senior manager, he works the holidays so the boneheads that work for him can have a day off and do you think they are appreciative? Nope. Do you think his corporation says "good boy"? Nope. And lastly do you think Sweet Man would do it any differently? Nope, because that is who he is. Siempre Fi is his thing. And his daughter is cut from the same cloth.
We are lucky because they have jobs, because they know how to work, because they care enough to do the work, because they are loyal and because we have each other. I know that that is not the case today for lots of families so don't think I don't realize how blessed we are.
Maybe I should have told you about the childbirth story, this turned into a bit of a rant, oooooopps.
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We were just talking about that very thing yesterday. I hate corporate America, as do many people, but like you SM, mine is the same way...he puts in long hours, gets the job done well, works some weekends, and gets shit for pay and no appreciation, just hassled...he has a "call" tomorrow from his ego bloated reg. mngr....hates my guy because he makes his favorite sales people look lazy, which..dah, they are!! He never gives him any kind of kudos even if he's the top salesman in the region...such a prick!!
ReplyDeleteNow you've done it...get me all pissy again!! LOL Hey, maybe we should all tell tales of our L&D...nah, mine aren't interesting at all...I "folded" 3 times with nothing to knock the pain...at the time, nothing worked on me except maybe morphine!!!! Have a great one, my friend.
Loves ya,
G
Great post! As someone who used to have to hire people to work in the store I now bookkeep for, I saw a lot of really hard workers, and alot of lazy-asses come through our doors. It always amazed me how one person could be so engaged and concerned about the quality of their work, the next person just didn't give a crap.
ReplyDeleteIt never ceased to amaze me as I was knocking my pan in 70-80 hours a week for nearly a year on the project from hell (that thankfully ended at the end of April) how many of my colleagues thought it was perfectly acceptable to do their contracted 37.5 hours for the week and swan out the door. Now maybe it was because I was more senior, I had more demands on me, and I have to admit I never once forced my team of 13 work extra. However, some voluntarily did regularly (maybe another 7-8 hours over the week), others had family commitments that made that more challenging, and juggled their childcare to give an extra 3-4 hours, and then there were the 3 that downed tools and walked out precisely 7.5 hours after they started. Those 3 no longer work for the company - not my choice, it had been clocked by management way above my head. Do they realise that their contracts didn't get renewed because they didn't really care about the extra burden their colleagues were carrying? I doubt it. Admittedly the project needed more people, but there were issues that prevented that, but still, a few more hours from them would have helped the rest of us!
ReplyDeleteI'm now back to doing my 7 1/2 to 8 hour days, but if I have to stay on for a meeting past my normal leaving time, so be it. I have colleagues that have great big noisy fusses. On the flip side, my managers are that much more happy to give me leave when I ask, and I've had managers queueing to have me on their future projects (to the extent that I got kidnapped for 4 weeks for a super-secret project).
I'm only in my early 30s, but the younger my colleagues are, the less they seem to care about their work, and the more they seem to get in trouble. Perhaps it's because I was (just) a child of the 70's and my parents had hard work ethics, while the younger ones were kids of the selfish 80's, where our prime minister positively encouraged the 'me, me, me and to hell with anyone else' attitude.
Oh my, that was a rant, sorry lol
I totally agree with you! My husband and I have the same work ethic. Our past work experiences have found that many employers prefer employees that suck-up and brownnose rather than employees that know the job well and will actually do the job. For the record, my husband and I are nice, respectful people, but we refuse to suck-up to anyone. Some people might consider that a fault, but we consider it a good character trait. And, of course, salary/wages are always an issue. Many times an employee is expected to do a number of different jobs, but are paid lower wages because they have a certain job title that just screams lower pay. Grrr!
ReplyDeleteOn a happier note…since my family and I have moved to another state, my husband and I have both found jobs in which the employer acknowledges what we know and we can do. It is so refreshing and rewarding to have an employer appreciate you!!
Brightest Blessings to all!
i hear you!!!!
ReplyDeletethis is precisely what has angered me over the years!!
Customer service is the exception, not the standard anymore. Oftentimes I'm willing to pay more for something if I know the customer service will be good.
ReplyDeleteI think it's time I had a good rant. Over the years I worked my fanny off. Thirty odd years ago I even suffered a broken back on the job and my reward was to have my employer hassle me so I would quit my job because they pressumed I wouldn't be able to work as hard disabled. I didn't let them get away that easily and managed to hang on 13 more years before I quit. Then I put in 12 years for another employer putting in 50 to 60 hours a week on the job and then more hours off the clock. I wrote proceedures and processes and training manuals. I became swing shift supervisor and did the same job that took three day shift supervisors to do only to be let go because I'd managed to make things run so smoothly it made more sense to my employer to pay someone less than what I was getting paid to do my job. I managed to work my way out of a job, if you can imagine that. That was great repayment for my devotion to the company. I was recruited right away by another company and promises were made but never kept and when the economy went in the toilet I was let go. None of the work force that was let go got called back and the ones who took pay cuts to hold on to their jobs were let go at a later date. The company has since employed replacements with a younger work force who will work for peanuts with no bennies. I din't plan on retiring when I did but after spending nearly two years looking for a job and not finding one I had no choice. Okay, I've got that off my chest. Thanks for presenting a topic that allowed me to vent. I think I needed that. Have a wonderful week. Smoochies
ReplyDeleteYou said it, sister! I have felt this way too. That's partly why I'm so thrilled to have managed to be self-employed. When I worked at my "9-5" jobs, I always got positive reviews on my work performance. I believe that you should take pride in your work - no matter what you do. I get so frustrated when people just don't seem to care about quality or service anymore. My boyfriend always is amused when I get outraged at the lack of a smile, politeness, or even acknowledgment from employees/waitstaff/etc...Why should they care though, when as you pointed out, employers are squeezing the life blood right out of them.
ReplyDeleteMy Grandfather started at the bottom of his company and became head engineer, after working for years, and always held his head high and was grateful for the work. Respect and pride in your work seems to be a thing of the past. *sigh*
Oh I so agree, we are appreciated for our hard work and devotion let alone our loyalty, I was in the coporate world for over 18+ years and I can say honestly that I was never appreciated for my knowledge and devotion to the company, I was passed by and overlooked and promotions given to others that I actually had to train who knew much less but played the "corporate" game better than I! I was too honest and forward and din't believe in the "phoney" behavior, I believed in hard solid work with true loyalty and the belief that knowing your job and getting it done right was how you do it! Wrong it is stabbing others in the back and cutting corners and treating others like numbers that works, that is why I got out and went into the education world, but alas I found that too in my state to be very political and the games were there too, although one feels better when you can teach a little one just a little and see it in their eyes. Unfortuately that was farther and fewer times as the time went on. Sad really....as a retiree I am much happier and work independently at home and love it!!!! 3 cheers for the self-employed!!
ReplyDeleteI was always taught that if you are to do a job, you do it to the best of your ability. If I were to slack on my job I'd proabably have many restless nights. However, as the years go by I see a trend in corporate America, at least here in the south. The more I do, the more they want and the faster they want it. This often brings me great stress because I am a true believer in quality of work over quantity of work and in my profession, Medicare billing, your mistakes could actually cause you a hefty fine to the government or a jail term. It seems I keep trying to keep my head above water but am truthfully drowning. (sigh) Unfortunatly, with the economy as it is I doubt there will be improvement any time soon. As you say, "We'll just keep on keeping on." Have a lovely week, my sweet friend.
ReplyDeleteRant away Oma. I agree, people just don't give a shit anymore but from what I hear (been out of the job scene since Littleman was born 8 years ago) companies don't give a shit and people are treated like numbers so unfortunately it's a shitty ride on a merry-go-round of garbage.
ReplyDeleteAlso, from now on I will be celebrating labor day in the form of having birthed my son and not completely lost my mind (yet) in the "job" of motherhood.