Maybe it’s because all the younger generations really are smarter than mine (boomer). For most of my 50 years in the workforce, I was told:
I was lucky to have a job (justification for low wages, small raises, and no raises)
I had to go along to get along (justification for shitty working conditions, some of which contravened labour law and safety regulations)
I had to work hard to get ahead (justification for perpetual short staffing, stupid shifts, and excessive overtime)
I had to prove myself to get promotions (actually do the work of the next level up without the next level pay)
Training and certifications were for my benefit or just the cost of getting in the door (justification for the gutting and even elimination of on-the-job and employer-sponsored training as well as not having higher pay to go with more training and education)
For most of my working life, I took my father’s advice to demand both my legal rights and my human dignity at great cost to my employment success. The 15 years I tried it “the right way” just left me exploited and burned out.
If falling productivity is a result of people finally demanding that laws and human dignity be not just respected but honoured and advanced, then I say let it fall.
I’ve heard people say that maybe it’s time to reset productivity expectations or even redefine what is meant by productivity.
I think they make good cases for those things, but maybe it’s time for, I don’t know, something so radical as to be unthinkable. Like maybe it’s time for the business community to look inward for the problem.
Maybe it’s because all the younger generations really are smarter than mine (boomer). For most of my 50 years in the workforce, I was told:
For most of my working life, I took my father’s advice to demand both my legal rights and my human dignity at great cost to my employment success. The 15 years I tried it “the right way” just left me exploited and burned out.
If falling productivity is a result of people finally demanding that laws and human dignity be not just respected but honoured and advanced, then I say let it fall.
I’ve heard people say that maybe it’s time to reset productivity expectations or even redefine what is meant by productivity.
I think they make good cases for those things, but maybe it’s time for, I don’t know, something so radical as to be unthinkable. Like maybe it’s time for the business community to look inward for the problem.