Posted on 01/23/2024 12:46:35 PM PST by Cronos
M kid called once and asked how to give two weeks notice. I told him I have no idea. I’ve been reorganized out of every job I’ve ever had. One after 18 years.
I have a fairly high profile job now, and I think I’m highly valued but every single day I wonder if the shoe will drop.
The end of loyalty began in the 80s as I recollect it.
And it began on the corporate side when companies not only started shedding pension plans, but laid off folks at the 19 year point so they wouldn’t have to pay them.
Sworn to Fun, Loyal to None. ;)
I've done contract work for many years. As you say, there are pros and cons.
I think there are lots of guys and gals here on FR who do the same thing (contract work, that is).
congress passed tax laws that tightened that loop hole,
suddenly everything went away. the site pool and ball fields closed, no more softball, jackets came about every 3 years. no more catered lunches. good jobs died in the 90's.
Work at home is a true win win for both employer and employee.
Most employees have figured it out—but the advantages you note are real and the employers will figure it out as well.
My workplace was like that.
I am retired—and my job definitely could be done by AI.
The problem they have is they can’t find human programmers smart enough to program the AI to do it.
;-)
“”My gripe with younger workers is they universally think they are worth more than they are.””
I’ve been with the same chiropractor for almost 20 years. They have gone through quite a few employees. There were a few that are unforgettable. One of them thought she was paid for just walking in the door, for showing up. Actually doing anything once she arrived was, apparently to her, optional. Her coworker at the front desk was not her supervisor, so just did her own job. When the owners realized what was happening, they set up a daily list of tasks. The “I show up, I get paid” person did not even last another week.
“”I never understood how the human race ever got to the point where getting paid while you’re not working makes any sense at all.””
In Greece, they used to let firefighters and a few other job classifications retire at 50 with a full pension. Later, they expanded the list of job classifications that could also retire at 50 to hundreds of job types. That is why, when the IMF and others demand some fiscal restraint, there are hundreds of thousands of Greeks out in the streets protesting. Recently, Greece has threatened to exit the European Union if they don’t receive more $$$.
“”I’ve never been loyal to a company; I’ve been loyal to my bosses.””
I worked in a grocery chain for over ten years. Over the years, there were many bosses and assistant bosses. One of the best was this great guy who, while a graduate of Notre Dame, was not your typical elitist. He did not just sit in his office. He assisted where needed, and even jumped into the checkstand when it was really busy. Sometimes, the ‘efficiency experts’ would come in, but would never talk to us daily workers about what could be better, and what was working well. The boss would take me aside and remind me that the ‘experts’ were only there for a few days. When they left, we could put it back the way we, and especially the customers, needed.
There was another boss who developed an outward reputation as a real tough taskmaster. He did not have time for lazy people who thought they should receive compensation for just showing up. Privately, he was a kind, considerate man. When my mother had a stroke, and my 6 siblings and I were all taking shifts by her side in the hospital, this boss let me alter my work schedule for however necessary. One day, while mom was still in the hospital, I was in the checkstand when the store received a call for me from the hospital. The boss took over my cash register, and I had to take the call in front of everybody. We had 16 check stands, and everyone stopped working as I took the call at the Customer Service Booth. Turned out to be just an update on mom, nothing worse was happening. I will never forget that boss, and those coworkers. While I was already from the large Irish Catholic family, the even larger work family can be a great asset.
Yep. I got wacked at a defense contractor after 33 years. I had stellar performance reviews my whole life. No loyalty on their side. Old white guy they were adding 8% to my pension per year and the new hires didn’t get the pension. It’s a numbers thing so not surprising. It’s all worked out.
Manager did annual reviews for our team. On a scale of 1-5, we were given from 3 to 3.2. When we complained, we were told by manager that divulging scores to each other was unethical. Um??? Then he confessed his director told him to not give anything higher than 3.5, which would trigger a raise. Suddenly we don’t work overtime, do anything other than exactly what we are assigned, and absolutely insist on breaks and lunches regardless of patient load. Manager is exasperated his employees are now acting precisely average in time management, decision making and work quality. F&^k loyalty - no one cares.
The problem they have is they can’t find human programmers smart enough to program the AI to do it.
—
At some point AI will program more AI.
I’m loyal every two weeks...
I’m a GenXer. There is no loyalty in the workplace and there hasn’t been for my entire career. Loyalty died back in the 80s when companies started outsourcing jobs overseas. At first workers were outraged but after a few years, they returned the favor and adopted an equally mercenary attitude in response.
I have no qualms about doing what’s best for #1 in business. Nobody else is going to.
Exactamundo. As a contractor for several banks, my attitude is I will be professional and do the work. *IF* my boss is cool, I’ll even go out of my way by putting in some work for an evening or on a weekend to meet a deadline.
What I will not do is make a habit of that. Don’t expect me to knock myself dead. I’m not some naive guy in my 20s or 30s anymore. If you are perpetually assigning me too much work, I simply won’t get it done. If you insist on all if it getting done you will have to pay me overtime. Don’t like it? Cut me loose. That’s fine with me. I’ll get another contract with another bank in no time.
I completely agree. I've seen this appalling lack of loyalty to employees growing for more than 20 years. So why should employees feel any sliver of loyalty for a company which would jettison them in a moment if they thought it would improve their bottom line? Apparently, training new employees and tolerating their inevitable mistakes due to lack of experience is found cheaper than retaining long standing employees.
That’s exactly what I am - a contract worker. I’ve been doing that for 17 years. When Covid came along, I went fully remote and have refused to take a contract that would require me to go into an office. That was 4 years ago and I’ve done just fine so far.
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