The questions below (and more to come) represent an intellectual and instinctive investigation into what has become of the American workplace and the role of the American worker. Although it seems that these concepts are recent, or recently dominant, they have hardly sneaked up on us over the last 40 years or so.
The trend is troubling, and I believe is one of many tools or devices implemented by forces/people/organizations who are manipulating economies to consolidate power and control. Paranoid as it sounds, I have heard or seen no other logical reason for this sad and failed state of capitalism to exist.
Does hard work mean work hard anymore?
Or has multi-tasking, that is, one person doing more than one job simultaneously, come to mean hard work?
Does work still mean to produce...or does it mean
to perform repetitive tasks which create profits for an entity?
What is a job?
Is it a contractual agreement, spoken or written, to perform specialized tasks in exchange for money and/or other benefits on a predetermined schedule and place?
Or is it a non-contractual agreement to be available 24/7 and to be summoned to perform assorted, non-specialized tasks, with flexible scheduling and locations?
To whom or what is one's allegiance and loyaty?
The actual work?
The workplace?
One's supervisors/managers?
The chain of command?
The Company?
The shareholders?
The Profit Margin?
What is an Associate?
How is an Associate different from an employee?
How have labor laws been eroded to such a point as it effectively destroys family life and impoverishes people?
What has happended to the protections and advancements which unions fought so hard to integrate into the work place?
Why do people feel so helpless to do anything about it?
I think fault lies on both sides, but certainly big business is more culpable as they began this downward spiral that is current reality.
ReplyDeleteThe big business model is all about today's results. Decisions are not made based upon future good because the decision maker must CYA today. Thus we have seen, for example, automobile companies opting to "overlook" a fault with their product because it would cost less to pay off lawsuits later than to fix it today. No value to human life, merely to today's bottom line.
In this model people are numbers, a means to an end. They are used up and spit out as there are always more to take their place.
Workers treated in such a manner quickly lose any pride in workmanship therefore the end product suffers. It's a vicious cycle which has been spinning faster and faster towards collapse.
Having worked in this model early in my career, I became convinced that the only answer was self employment. Watching management make IMO stupid decisions on a regular basis was beyond frustrating.
From the other side of coin, when my business grew to the point I had to seek help, what I found was disappointing. Where were the honest, hard working folks who would appreciate a good wage and being valued for their contribution?
It seemed they were all so jaded that they were only capable of going through the motions. It didn't matter that I treated them as valued members of my team and paid above average wages. Deadlines seemed to have little meaning and the quality of work was substandard.
I know that there are people out there who still believe in doing an honest day's work but IME they were a minority.
Maybe the answer lies in a resurgence of small business. With so many out of work there should be a new appreciation for a job. That would translate into working hard to make their company successful so that everyone wins... as long as the business owner remembers to "share the wealth."
No easy answers, but keep asking questions and perhaps through the dialog some truths and change will emerge.
I'm sorry that your experience with hiring people was disappointing. Maybe the right people didn't apply for your work.
ReplyDeleteMy own business was never lucrative enough to hire help, although I could have used it.
I was speaking more of the large companies like those I am working at, with close to 300 workers between the two of them, where everyone I encounter works so hard every day that they feel beaten up by the time they get home.
During the work day, they are constantly monitored by measuring their keystroke speed on the cash register and are required to mark off check lists as they complete tasks, all the while waiting on the customers with a smile and are required to try to sell something else to the customer as they are stepping up to complete the transaction.
Dare I even mention the security cameras constantly scanning all departments?
One of the jobs of the Assistant Managers is to review the security tapes regularly (I don't know how often) of each employee, not only while they are on the job, but while they are on their way to their break, how long their break is, etc. They are looking to see if the employee is "stealing" time from the company.
The question is never asked, "Is the company stealing time, energy or dignity from the employee?"
If an employee appears tired or not on the ball, the company can require a random drug test. No matter if the person is a mother who has been up all night with her colicky child or a daughter who was caring for her dying mother or a brother supporting his brother dying of cancer... (3 people I work with)...!
Don't you find that the least bit invasive and presumptive?
Just how much does a person have to give to their job?
It is, after all, just a job...a loose agreement to perform certain tasks for an agreed upon compensation.
The company shouldn't own the worker, although they do come close to it by expecting 24/7 availability.
These conditions create an enormous amount of stress and can't possibly allow people to perform at their best.