As many of us have discovered, however, that's not at all the way things happen. The modern American workplace isn't an orderly system; it's an environment, and a Darwinian one at that. What does that mean? You can do everything right, and still, you may be wronged.
You could, for example, be a loyal, dedicated and hard working employee, and even that commitment won't protect you from a layoff or a feckless and self-serving supervisor. Corporations have now been given human rights by the U.S. Supreme Court, a decision that simply codifies the rise of entities that are free to behave in inhumane ways. As I say in Chapter 1 of Work Strong, they can and do behave like bullies.
That's not a cute literary device; it's the hard truth. Consider just some of the facts:
- The decade between 1999 and 2009 is the first in American history where we created virtually no new jobs. The net gain over those ten years was just 121,000 positions or about enough to employ the crowd at a University of Michigan football game.
- Over two dozen of the companies cited on the Working Mother and Forbes lists of the best places to work have now been sued by their own employees for not walking the talk. They don't promote their workers' careers or support a healthy career-life balance.
- In 1927 Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle to expose worker abuse in the meatpacking industry. Today, Americans in every profession, craft and trade are spending over $1 billion per year on pain killers because they, too, are being physically, psychologically or emotionally mistreated.
How do you protect yourself in such a dangerous environment?
The surest way to answer that question, it seems to me, is to look at some of the strategies that have been tried over the past decade. They include:
- hoping that the bullies will see the light and change their ways.
- ignoring the bullies and trying to work around them.
- waiting for fortune or the fairy godmother to save us.
I don't mean to be disrespectful, but stripped down to the essential truth, those three words-hoping, ignoring and waiting-describe the way many people have tried to manage their careers. And, today, they are frustrated, angry and dispirited.
So, what's a better alternative? (Here's a hint, you probably learned the answer at some point in your childhood.)
Thanks for reading,
Peter
This all sounds exactly right. I have spent 18 years as a corporate technical writer, and long ago lost track of the jobs I've had where my supervisors and peers loved my work, but still got re-organized, downsized, laid off, whatever, out of a job. And the way that even in relatively stable and OK corporations, the annual raises, etc. for the worker bees are calculated to fall just short of cost-of-living increases. I just finished an MA in English hoping to transition into a career teaching composition at a community college--putting my years of practical experience to work, right?--only to find that most places won't seriously consider anyone without a PhD. No luck so far.
ReplyDeleteAfter 35 years I retired and started my "retirement job" in education. I was aware that the education system has it's problems, but this is the first place where people that are so profoundly ignorant of fact, dominate the upper levels of management and worse yet, try to cover themselves by stealing each others idea's rather than develop their own. And the education system wonders why they can't keep the tallented employees?
ReplyDeletePeter, I had to check your bio several times, because I was surprised that someone with your credentials could speak so honestly about the workplace. But you speak the truth. The reality is that no workplace, regardless of whether it's academia or a corporation, is a safe haven for workers. And the sooner we wake up to that fact, the better off we'll be. Most of the time we can't control our work destinies, which is why it's imperative that we become our own stewards sooner than later. As a society, we need to become more self-reliant and hone talents that will allow us to survive, and thrive, outside of institutional frameworks. Whatever talent(s) one has, whether it's teaching, baking, blogging, or even growing vegetables, it's important that we nurture our own alternative revenue streams. Because as recent history shows us, nobody will take care of us and we must fend for ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI have found that univertsities are one of worst environments for employee promition and development. While many of the supervisors with whom I have worked have been nice people, they are not in a hurry to develop talent because there are no incentives for them to do so. Similarly, employees are less than inclined to seek promotion because professional development is limited and rarely (if ever) rewarded. I came back to education because of the opportunity to manage an office, as well as advise; however, that step up required my initial departure to pursue other options, rather than being promoted for previous success.
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ReplyDeleteMy community college is the worst. They are purposely harassing older employees in order to make them leave. They are hiring young people and moving them into jobs that they are not qualified to fill. Therefore, the supervision of older qualified workers becomes a nightmare. My workplace has become hostile environment. The orders are coming from the top, so there is no recourse. I fear for the future of our institution.
ReplyDeleteI've been in higher ed administration for nearly 20 years, inbetween corporate and global business operations. Your workworld, bottom line, is shaped by your own hand. Every system has a culture and it's up to you to learn about that, understand how you can/not work within, and what are your options beyond.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Peter, you probably learned how to do this in childhood.If not,it's time to learn that you are called upon to create your own destiny.
Catherine,EdD
Certain truths, just like death and taxes, exist in the work force and in higher education: old boy network/nepotism, bully bosses, favoritism, the same old - same old ways, and pervailing incompetency at senior levels. Although I am continually dismayed and disheartened, I am not surprised, as this seems to be the unfortunate and ubiquitious modus operandu and especially so with the current market with doing more with less. Expertise and experience do become liabilities and integrity does not always win - as the news shows/proves. It's all a question of frame of reference and direction of moral compass. If folks really wanted to be accountable and do the right thing, they would be but folks are scared of losing jobs - and rightly so. I do not know what the answer is except to keep the faith, your integrity, and keep searching for the good guys.
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