I sometimes imagine some CEO gazing blankly out an office window, and pondering their wealth, knowing that they have reached the top of the food chain. In their royal office they sit far above their employees who run to and fro with necessary menial jobs. Is there a part of them that can even conceive what it's like on the bottom rung of their company? Can they relate to a paycheck that does not cover your bills? Either they cannot, or they simply do not care.
I am hanging onto the bottom of that ladder, but it's getting hard to have a good grip. Most of the time I am told " Be grateful you have a job." Rest assured, I am grateful. I am happy to do my job, but I do not feel secure.
I have been working since I was 16 years old. There may have been some short gaps in employment, but never a lengthy one. Back in the 80's and 90's I felt like I could walk in anywhere and get a job, and they were happy to have me. I work my ass off because I DO have a good work ethic. That's a part of how my generation views and accepts duty to perform. We normally kick ass because that is the job culture we grew up with.
Since 2009 and the crash of Wall Street, companies seem to be running scared. They look for cheap labor, and part time labor so they do not have to pay an employee benefits. They KNOW that people will fill the gaps because we have no where else to go. The long term employee and the company " buy in" is disappearing. It's hard to have faith in an employer when we are having our hours cut.
Our grand parents and parents sometimes worked as an employee for one company for a life time. They were compensated for their loyalty, and had a retirement that was affordable. We've lost that kind of security. We are now always in fear, and that job security is not possible.
It's also hard for us to understand a CEO's fears when we need to be able to pay our household bills and keep a roof over our heads. We don't live like people who have money live.
We just hope that we can pay our utility bills to keep the lights and heat on.
Trips to exotic locations? Nope..Can we afford to eat meat this week?
A night on the town? Hopefully we can pay our cable bill this month.
Luxury automobiles? Damn..how can I afford to pay for the repair of my old car? How will I get to work?
Eating in a restaurant? Do we still have milk? We get a great deal less for our money at the food store than we did 10 years ago.
So if you are not one of the higher ups a partial paycheck means 2 jobs. I cannot imagine that our economy will suddenly improve, so prices are not going to go down, they will just keep rising. I watch as the GAP between the rich and the poor is starting to look like a gaze across the Grand Canyon, the other side is getting hard to see, getting wider everyday.
And yes, I wish the days of our grandparents had not disappeared. I have never in my life been a part-time
employee. I am not comfortable knowing my job could disappear in a heart beat. I am truly one paycheck away from living on the street, just like every hourly employee I work with. This is not a secure life, It's living on the edge and all of us are just trying to hang on.
K
I am hanging onto the bottom of that ladder, but it's getting hard to have a good grip. Most of the time I am told " Be grateful you have a job." Rest assured, I am grateful. I am happy to do my job, but I do not feel secure.
I have been working since I was 16 years old. There may have been some short gaps in employment, but never a lengthy one. Back in the 80's and 90's I felt like I could walk in anywhere and get a job, and they were happy to have me. I work my ass off because I DO have a good work ethic. That's a part of how my generation views and accepts duty to perform. We normally kick ass because that is the job culture we grew up with.
Since 2009 and the crash of Wall Street, companies seem to be running scared. They look for cheap labor, and part time labor so they do not have to pay an employee benefits. They KNOW that people will fill the gaps because we have no where else to go. The long term employee and the company " buy in" is disappearing. It's hard to have faith in an employer when we are having our hours cut.
Our grand parents and parents sometimes worked as an employee for one company for a life time. They were compensated for their loyalty, and had a retirement that was affordable. We've lost that kind of security. We are now always in fear, and that job security is not possible.
It's also hard for us to understand a CEO's fears when we need to be able to pay our household bills and keep a roof over our heads. We don't live like people who have money live.
We just hope that we can pay our utility bills to keep the lights and heat on.
Trips to exotic locations? Nope..Can we afford to eat meat this week?
A night on the town? Hopefully we can pay our cable bill this month.
Luxury automobiles? Damn..how can I afford to pay for the repair of my old car? How will I get to work?
Eating in a restaurant? Do we still have milk? We get a great deal less for our money at the food store than we did 10 years ago.
So if you are not one of the higher ups a partial paycheck means 2 jobs. I cannot imagine that our economy will suddenly improve, so prices are not going to go down, they will just keep rising. I watch as the GAP between the rich and the poor is starting to look like a gaze across the Grand Canyon, the other side is getting hard to see, getting wider everyday.
And yes, I wish the days of our grandparents had not disappeared. I have never in my life been a part-time
employee. I am not comfortable knowing my job could disappear in a heart beat. I am truly one paycheck away from living on the street, just like every hourly employee I work with. This is not a secure life, It's living on the edge and all of us are just trying to hang on.
K
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