Economic Trend

There appears to be a growing trend in the employment world. I am not speaking of the nation’s double digit unemployment announcement today – highest since 1983. In 1983, I was working at minimum wage job for a bakery. I was too young and innocent (oblivious) to what the nation was feeling. I was pregnant with my second child (scratch the word innocent from the previous sentence) and the sweet smells from the bakery at 5:00 A.M were my biggest worry. Sweet is not a good morning smell. The smell was topped only by the gooey, sticky mess of sugar that would form an adhesive bond between the cinnamon rolls and the pan each morning. Don’t worry about it. With time I got over that queasy feeling – donuts are my friends again.

I am not even speaking about Michigan being at the top of that unemployment heap. Can’t you feel all the residents in California lift their collective head a little higher today? No matter how badly California seems to be doing – hell, no matter how badly all the other states may be doing . . . . they can join together in relief and proudly chant, “We’re not Michigan, We’re not Michigan!” That’s nice of us don’t you think? I also think I may have taken many liberal punctuations with that sentence but I like the effect so I am keeping it.

What I am talking about is the growing lack of respect employers are bestowing upon their employees. It is completely illogical for me to think that employers would belittle, intimidate, discredit, or insult their employees during such a hurtful time in our nation. I know too many people who spend 9-5 as walking dead. They go into work, seek out a small sliver of happiness in whatever form it might come, and spend the rest of their day over-worked and underappreciated.

The difficult thing to process is that these are intelligent people who do good work. These are the types of people you want to work with and want working for you. These are the type of people that businesses, in good times, would hold out for because they are dedicated and responsible. If this were only one or two people – that I personally know – then I would just write it off as a bad work match. But there are too many people in this position.

I am sure that many reading this are thinking “just be glad you have a job” and you are right. These folks know that too and that is why they take it – because being in a bad relationship is more comfortable than being alone. In a bad relationship you know what to expect. You don’t like it and it sucks the life out of you but it is better than the fear of uncertainty.

Assignment: We might not be able stimulate the economy but we can stimulate happiness. Find something positive to say to each of your co-workers today. Change this economic trend!