A few years ago, the company for which I worked was facing a severe financial crisis, and thus, was forced to instigate a very large company-wide lay off. It became a horrible, stress laden work environment, with people literally crying at their desks in anticipation of receiving the dreaded call from Human Resources.
Now, not to be a negative Nelly here, but I have been through office "cuts" before, and generally, if you are "lucky" to keep your job, your workload will triple, you will receive no raise because there is no money in the budget, and, since the job market is in a horrible state, you will cheerfully do your job and better damned well like it, because you could be out on the streets the following day. I remember discussing this with a coworker, post lay off, and her reply was, "I don't really care, I'm just SO grateful to have a job." I remember thinking, "crap, I wish I had gotten the 3 month severance package and could get the hell out of here."
Let's examine that statement: I'm just so grateful to have a job.
When I think of the word "grateful", I consider it to imply that there is gratitude, a feeling of being blessed, and generally it is used to refer to sources outside of oneself. You are usually grateful to others, grateful for things received, etc. Many times the grateful feeling is something unexpected or something received for which you invested no real "labor." There is sometimes some humility involved.
I know. We are supposed to count our blessings, no matter how small. But to feel "grateful" to have survived a chopping block which you have spent years of your life building- sacrificing your time, increasing its monetary value- it just doesn't make sense to me. You work hard, you somewhat survive, and sometimes, regardless, you're still screwed. Oh, but gratefully screwed. Be assured, your company is grateful for you being grateful. Because they know that they can keep you within their budget, give you extra work, and know that you have no choice in the matter. (Because you are grateful)
If I work hard, and am "paid" in results, I am not grateful for the results. The results were deserved, and well earned I may be grateful for being granted the patience, or the nerve, or the fortitude, or the smarts to complete the job, but the results were because of me and my work.
Feeling "grateful" to survive a budget cut feels akin to being grateful that you'll be shot rather than hung for a crime you didn't commit. Wasn't your fault, it's beyond your control, and you're going to die, but, look at the bright side! At least it will be quick!
Somehow, this is to what many of us have been reduced. Grinning and bearing it, and feeling grateful, even if things are really crappy and unfair. Even if you tried and worked hard and did everything you were supposed to do, you get the short end of the stick, and you're still counting that as a "blessing." Sorry, but I'm not going for that. A supervisor once said to me and a group of coworkers, "I know that sometimes this job can be shitty (and yes, she said "shitty"), but the thing is, there are hundreds of people lined up outside who are willing to do this job. So you either do it, or get out." Now there's an inspirational speech.
My post previous to this discussed "why" we work, and here, I consider the question of "how" we work, and under what conditions. I am guessing that the "conditions" are not overly pleasant for a large number of people.
Of all the people I know and have met in my life, I can count on one hand the number of those who actually admitted to liking and feeling fulfilled in their jobs. I will say that the majority of my acquaintances have lukewarm feelings about their current situations. Work is work, sometimes it's bad, sometimes it's bearable, but most times it's just "meh." The majority don't necessarily hate their jobs, but they're not happy about them, either.
I could try to reason that perhaps I just live in the wrong part of the world, or that I've had the fortune to only meet negative minded people, but I have international friends who are suffering similarly. Different races, cultures, religions, sexual orientations, none of them are exempt.
I could also reason that no one ever said that work had to be "fun." That's fine. But what about work being satisfying? What about feeling pride for your efforts? What of feeling fulfilled?
Have you ever worked for an employer that utilized company-wide raises? As in, "everyone gets 3% across the board" ? Everyone, including your idiot manager, your coworker who spends more time in the smoking area than at her desk, your other coworker who browses the internet all day long. Be grateful for that raise, but know that you are nothing special. It's like who we are, what we do, how hard we try, none of it is recognized. Unless you have punched in one minute late twice in the last year, of course. THAT will be recognized.
I've wondered in the past about the decline of humanity, and maybe some of that has arisen because of how we live and work as a society. We have lowered our expectations collectively, because we have learned that many times, the efforts don't matter. It's no longer about putting in hard work and showing dedication, it's more about whether you are "lucky." It's about counting yourself as blessed just because you have a job, even if it is demeaning, low-paying, demoralizing, and makes you miserable.
Considering that working is going to be something we spend most of our lives doing, I don't think it's too much to ask that it be fulfilling and somewhat rewarding. I don't suspect that there is any solution to this world-wide issue of dissatisfaction, and I have no real words of hope for anyone, including myself. I'll be damned, though, before I dress it up and call it a blessing. Yeah.
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