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Subject:Re: Like long hours? From:Andrew Plato <gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 6 Aug 2002 06:54:30 -0700 (PDT)
"Christensen, Kent" <lkchris -at- sandia -dot- gov> wrote in message news:164201 -at- techwr-l -dot- -dot- -dot-
>
> Perceptions that need changing in the 21st century.
>
> Management perceptions *must* be equal as regards both the individual that
> stays at work long hours and the other individual that works hard but must
> then go home and take care of children, sick relatives, etc. If not,
> there's a valid EEO issue. The perception as originally posted is an
> obsolete dinosaur and is often sexist and should vanish ASAP.
No it shouldn't. Management perceptions should be "if you get the job done and
done well, you're rewarded." Hours should be, for the most part irrelevant. And
many companies moved into this arrangement, which tends to breed ambitious and
capable people and is intolerant of lazy complainers.
I am sorry but many people use their personal life as an outright excuse for why
they can't get work done. And while there are a 100000 legitimate reasons why a
person needs to leave SNAP on the dot at 5 pm, what about the needs of the
company to produce a product, make a profit, and fulfill its mission? When does
the company's needs get discussed?
If your personal life precludes you from getting your work done, then clearly you
need to locate employment that is more suited to your personal needs. Some
employers are very tolerant of part-time, or flexible time work arrangements. But
that does not mean ALL employers should have to be that way. Its easy for Hewlett
Packard or Ford who had 93 billion in assets and 19 billion in cash to afford a
part-time employee. But smaller companies struggling to be competitive and
profitable, cannot afford employees who require a lot of personal time off. They
are disruptive to the business.
Hence, if you have personal issues (like sick children, parents, hobbies, etc.)
that require you to work a flat 40 hours per week (or less) then locate employers
(and acquire the skills necessary to be hired by those employers) who will
respect those wishes. If you go to work for a smaller firm or a firm where such
matters are not as acceptable - don't expect them to re-engineer their
environment to suit your needs.
The perception that needs to be changed is the adversarial one. This isn't a war
between the saintly workers and evil management. The perception that needs to
emerge is one of forming alliances and mutual interest covenants between supply
(labor) and demand (employers). If you and your employer are on the same page,
working toward the same ends, then you can both benefit. You get paid a salary,
they get the work they need done to remain competitive and profitable. You
succeed in making the kind of money you need to live the kind of life you want,
and the employer gets documents that make their products outshine the
competition. This is a mutual interest covenant, and when you view your job in
this manner, you come to realize that you have A LOT more power and influence
over the employment arrangement then you realize.
However, if you're comfortable living in a 1930's era view of management and
workers, then so be it. But I think you will find that most of your fears about
management will come true. If you treat your employer as an evil beast that must
accept you, then it is likely they will behave like an evil beast toward you.
Andrew Plato
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