So Long, Jose

Oh, well…as predicted, Jose Reyes has signed with the Miami Marlins.

As a Mets fan, I’m sorry to see him go, but I can’t really blame him. The team’s financial woes would have made it difficult for them to re-sign him and getting into a bidding war was out of the question. This was his one chance for a big free agent score, and he would be foolish not to take it. No way was he going to give the Mets a home team discount.

Just one word of warning to Fish Fans: At least one time during the season, Jose will romp around second base, grab his hamstring and be out of the lineup for a month.

Of course, the Miami Marlins courted him like the prettiest girl at the prom. The team’s owner even went to a hotel suite where Jose was staying after midnight wearing a jersey with Reyes’s name on the back, which in the post-Sandusky-era is kind of creepy. Did he think he was recruiting for Penn State?

Now, Jose gets to wear those icky Miami Vice-era uniforms and we Met fans are left with a team that will finish last in 2012.

And workers throughout the country are left to wonder why we can’t be free agents.

New Job, Same as the Old Job

Six months into my new job and I have to say…not much has changed.

That fact was drilled home to me the other day when I was heading for home on a Friday afternoon after a tough week. It was the same week we switched over to a new system (with little to no instruction) and we were all frazzled, to say the least.

So, I decided to say goodbye to a co-worker and wish her a good weekend. However, as I approached her office, and without a word coming out of my mouth, she threw her arms in the air and snapped, “I can’t talk now. I’m busy!”

Kinda rude, don’t you think? I wasn’t looking for a long conversation. I had my coat on and it was obvious I was leaving for the day. So why the rather nasty reaction? Why not say something like, “Hey, can’t talk now. Have a good weekend. See ya Monday.” You know, a polite response.

I know it wasn’t my fault. Usually, I say something stupid and get reamed out for it. But in this instance, I hadn’t said a word. I understand she was stressed, but why take it out on me at that particular moment? She is not the only one who is over-worked and stressed out on the job. But most of us manage to be respectful of others even when we are under pressure.

I did not respond in kind, nor have I mentioned the incident to anyone in the office. I'll forgive and forget and chalk it up to her having a bad day.

Except...this is the second time this particular person has snapped at me when I was only wishing her a good day. OK, she’s high strung. But now I wonder if she isn’t bat-shit crazy. Best to keep my distance from her.

I know I said I would stay away from office friendships, but since when is basic courtesy a bad thing? Won’t make that mistake again.

The whole instance made me a bit sad. This is pretty much how I was treated at my former place of employment. Yes, there were times when I snapped under pressure, but I always apologized for it later. And if I didn’t there was always somebody else who called me out on my bad behavior and I did my rightful mea culpa. More times than not, I was the victim of somebody else’s rudeness than the perpetrator.

There are other aspects of this new job that make me realize the workplace is generally hostile to low-level employees. The higher-ups get to sit in their Ivory Towers and make decisions without consulting the people who are actually going to carry out those new projects. When those new projects are launched, we are given bare-boned instructions, so when something goes wrong we get blamed. Hey, why weren’t we given more time and instruction so that mistakes won’t be made? Alas, bosses have the upper hand in this employment market and we have little say. Our job is to simply take whatever is thrown at us and not complain.

Let me ask you: When was the last time you felt confident enough to stand up for yourself in the workplace? I’m even afraid to ask questions about technical things, lest I be viewed as an easily replaced dinosaur.

It’s futile to argue anyway. It’s budget season now, so surely meetings are taking place about our futures without us knowing anything about it or getting a chance to defend ourselves.

I understand that certain matters (layoffs, the sale of divisions, etc.) require confidentiality. But there is something fundamentally disturbing about other people discussing our professional futures without any input from us—the people most impacted by those decisions.

So, this is what I worked so hard for? To get back to a workplace as rude and disdainful as my former office?

Ghosts of Working Men Past

Recently, I read an interesting article about how jobs are becoming obsolete. The author argues that with technology, productivity is up so we don’t need the kind of jobs we needed back in the heyday of the Industrial Revolution.

While I agree that some jobs (like bank tellers) are becoming passé, I cannot believe that technology has become so proficient that we will not require people to perform some jobs in the future. Health care, for one, requires a human touch, unless you want your colonoscopy done by RoboPlungr.

The author does acknowledge that is not good news for the millions looking for employment. I certainly believe many unemployed people read this article and thought, “FML!” The author talks about lost jobs as if actual human beings did not perform those tasks. Like those people were ghosts.

With fewer jobs, our society requires a new way to exchange goods and services, the author contends. People produce a service somebody else or a company wants. They then exchange that product or service for something they need. So, in other words, in this Utopian society, I can exchange a chocolate cake for a Chevy? Not so sure about that. (Too be fair, the author, Douglas Rushkoff, doesn’t predict what this new jobless society will ultimately look like.)

What I am sure about is that our job-based economy has been altered, probably forever, as the result of decades of changes in how we work, aided, of course, by technology. It’s also the result of the weakening of unions and the disappearance of manufacturing jobs. At least with manufacturing, someone without an education could get a job, retire with a pension and stand firmly in the middle class. Now, only those rich to begin with can advance.

This country’s economy has historically thrived when we built things. Now, we build nothing; hence, we don’t export anything. Our economy is based on consumerism and the goods and services consumers require (that is, when they have the money to buy). Yet it seems like we are servicing only a small, upper stratum of society that afford those goods and services.

Every day on my way to work I pass by abandoned and graffiti-smudged factories standing side by side with luxury apartment and condo buildings, some of which were built using the existing structure of an old manufacturing plant. It’s a poignant commentary on how our society has devolved from an industrialized economy to one that revolves around a monied class that desires the design elements—hardwood floors, brick walls, high ceilings and windows—in those once-thriving factories. They are the only ones who can afford them. Sometimes, I can almost see the ghosts of lunch-pail-toting working men emerge from those empty factories, clad in their stiff-cotton work pants and open-necked shirts with rolled ups sleeves.

I’m not romanticizing a past that looks better in hindsight than it was in reality. Perhaps it wasn’t a sustainable economic model and was destroyed by the same people working within it. It’s just sad that way of life is gone forever.

Now, we’ve shifted to an economy based on financial services, a rollercoaster ride of an industry. It’s no coincidence that our economy began to have more mood swings than a menopausal woman off her hormone meds when Wall Street took over.

What needs to happen, and this will take decades to evolve, is new training for new technologies that, hopefully, put people back to work. But it will take a long time for our educational system to catch up and devise the training necessary for those jobs, whatever those may be.

In the meantime, it’s inevitable that our social safety net will need to expand. More and expanded jobless benefits, training funds for the long-term unemployed and increased Social Security and Medicare money in the future to financially support all those 50-somethings tossed out of work with a mortgage to pay, kids in college and zero retirement funds.

Yet the rich and the money-hoarding corporations don’t want to pay any more taxes to support those programs. Well, we all might have to. What we need are not tax cuts or increases, but tax fairness. Let’s start by getting rid of some stupid tax loopholes, like the ones for corporate jets.

How those taxes will be assessed is another matter. Do we increase taxes on income or on assets (which don’t count as income)? That’s for the politicians to decide. With the lobbyists big business and the wealthy can afford, it’s hard to believe taxes will be distributed fairly.

Which brings me to the protests on Wall Street. I’m of two minds on this. I think it’s great people are finally speaking out against corporate greed and the growing gap between rich and poor in this country. Our poverty rate is increasing at the same time Wall Street corporations are raking in record profits.

But most of the protestors seem to be young people looking for their “Vietnam” moment. I wonder, too, if they are mostly spoiled rich kids who can’t find a job after party-filled and parent-funded college years and are now upset because, as one Facebook friend said, daddy cut them off. If they were offered a six-figure job on Wall Street most would jump at the chance and switch sides so they can live in a downtown loft, far from the people who have been truly hurt the most by corporate greed: the millions of laid-off workers who have no voice and don’t have the time to protest because they are too busy trying to find work, pointlessly attending job fairs, and attempting to make ends meet.

What exactly are they protesting anyway? That Wall Streets make too much money (it always has) and has yet to do anything with that money, like create jobs that would help the middle class? Are they protesting economic inequality? Is this class warfare? A way for the left to counterbalance the Tea Party Movement on the right? Do they want a redistribution of wealth? Good luck with that. And from what I’ve seen, most of the protestors are, dare I say it, white. Where’s the diversity?

And where is the real anger? To these protestors, it’s a party, a way to show their social networking prowess. A more apt representation of middle class ire was the protests in Wisconsin when the governor tried to cut union benefits. And where did that get them?

Yet I think one of the reasons there has been relatively little anger about Wall Street greed is that there is a social safety in place that has helped the jobless through long stretches of unemployment. However, if that safety net is cut, and it surely will be, there will more anger. It’s unhealthy for a civic society to have a small, rich ruling class and a large, economically deprived underclass. At some point, those forces will clash and it may not be pretty or as relatively peaceful as the protests now on Wall Street.

Yet, count me cynical, but I don’t see much changing. Wall Street is probably laughing at the protestors, all but putting a sign out that says: “We don’t give a s**t.”

People who have jobs don’t care about the jobless and the politicians sure don’t. We’re seen as losers who are a drag on resources.

To Wall Street fat cats, the protestors are nothing more than an inconvenience on their way to their corner offices, A commentator I once heard said it perfectly: Wall Street’s job is to make money for investors, not job creation. President Obama has a hard sell on his jobs bill. With politicians of both parties beholden to Wall Street cash, it’s doubtful true financial reform will happen.

All this points to the fact we’ve become a nation of hypocrites. We want bountiful social services, but no one wants to pay the taxes that make those programs possible. We want to attack the rich, but we want to be rich like them. And how many times do we hear politicians and others tout their working class roots, yet they are part of the same system that has systematically destroyed the working middle class.

We scream “No blood for oil,” except when that oil fuels our SUVs. We don’t want one political party to control our government, yet we complain when the warring sides—which we put in place—can’t stop fighting each other long enough to get things done.

We say we want to help the working middle class, yet we’ve made them ghosts.

The Fruits of Our Labor

Another Labor Day is upon us and I’m left to ask: Do we really need to celebrate this day? Haven’t the mass layoffs of recent years and a 9.1 percent unemployment rate indicate what little regard corporations have for the average American worker? Instead of honoring workers, businesses want to get rid of us.

Sometimes it seems as if corporations are just one big patronage scheme, with executives only concerned about staying in power, surrounded by their lackeys and cushioned by big bonuses enabled in part by profits boosted by…layoffs. Instead of innovation, companies seem more intent on undertaking an Employee Resettlement Program. They can’t terminate us fast enough to keep their bottom lines flush.

Add to that the fact that no new jobs were created in August and the outlook for American workers is bleak indeed.

I’m no economist but the August job report could be due to a slow summer month. Many people take vacations in August, so no one was around to do any hiring, even if they wanted to. A better picture of the employment condition will emerge in the fall months. Companies start the budget process for the next year in September; if any hirings or firings are going to take place, it will happen later in autumn, probably November or December (the month I was laid off in). We’ll see what happens.

Given this situation, how should workers respond? We can be laid off at any time and through no fault of our own, so just how hard should we toil for any employer?

Of course, doing a crappy job is not advisable; that will surely get any employee fired, in good times or bad. But if working hard and doing a good job is no guarantee of continued employment, well, what can we do?

First, in this economy, be grateful you have a job. Many people would love to be in your shoes, so don’t dismiss it lightly or take it for granted. Any time I hear a person talk about how they only want to work for this type of a company or for some way-over-the -top salary or how they don’t want to work for anyone at all, I think how disdainful and condescending they are to the millions out of work, desperately seeking a job. While no one should take a job they would hate or stay in an abusive work situation, this is not the time to be picky. Perhaps someday when the employment market rebounds, you can find your perfect job. But that is not happening any time soon. Like they say in sports, suck it up.

Does that sound harsh? Yes, but the job market is harsh these days for people looking for work. In an ideal world, we would all get the job we want at a decent salary and more. Unfortunately, as someone who was brutally laid off and spent 16 months looking for a job, I know how unforgiving this employment market can be. So you can either look for work or go broke. The choice is yours. Remember, we are not free agents. (Ok, that was a shameless plug for another post. Forgive me.)

Second, if you have a job, do a good job. If there are days you have to work overtime to get a project done, do it without complaint.

Yet I don’t advise going the extra mile and taking on more projects in a vain attempt to impress your bosses. Trust me, you are not impressing them. They think you are a sap and are only too happy to get extra work out of you for no extra pay.

Take it from me, the mother of all saps. I actually thought that because I worked hard and did a good job for nearly two decades, my company wouldn’t let me go. Well, they did. And I was wrong to think that way, I understand that now. But I guess after so many years with the same company, emotion, not business sense, takes over. I will never make that mistake again.

So start thinking ahead to you next job, what you can learn on your present job that can help you find another position. Even if you have no immediate plans to look for another job (and in this economy, who would?), redo your résumé. It couldn’t hurt. When the ax falls, at least you have a spruced-up résumé to send out.

Network and keep in touch with former business contacts. I got my current job through a former colleague. At the very least, I know I can fall back on freelancing if this job is terminated. You can also look into training for another profession. For those with a riskier nature, you can launch your own business. Hey, you can’t fire yourself.

Remember, ultimately, you are in control of your work life, even though it may not seem that way right now.

But on this Labor Day weekend, I wonder, with corporate profits so high and wages and hirings on the down shaft, who is really reaping the fruits of our labors? Because American workers sure aren’t.

We are not Free Agents

So much talk about the Mets ability to re-sign superstar shortstop Jose Reyes has me thinking: Are average working Americans free agents?

Quite honestly, no. As much as we like to think we have the freedom to switch jobs, unless you possess extraordinarily uncommon skills, like a Jose Reyes, you are probably going to have to settle for whatever job you can get just to make ends meet. Employers know this; that’s why they know we will put up with their silly furlough days and years with no raises and doing the work of three people. Our options are limited in terms of employment.

Not so for a guy like Jose Reyes. As a Mets fan, I hope they re-sign him. A talent like Reyes comes along once in a generation. True, he’s not perfect. I sometimes think he has the hamstrings of an 80-year-old. Still, when he’s healthy, he’s a game-changer.

That’s why I think the Mets will make him a good offer, probably an above-market offer. But if some dumb owner comes along and offers an astronomical contract…well, Jose can’t be blamed for taking the money. He has to think about the financial security of his family over the loyalty to a team that has played poorly the past four years and shows no signs of turning into a contender anytime soon.

A more apropos situation to what average working Americans go through is how the Yankees treated Derek Jeter when he became a free agent before this season. Let me be clear: I hate the Yankees and Jeter reminds me of robot, a cold fish. But the way the team treated him made even this Yankee-hater cringe.

The Yankee hierarchy pretty much told him to take a hike. Why? Because his agent asked for too much money in the opening rounds of contract negotiations? Hey, that’s what agents do. Because he was getting old? At age 37, he’s no spring chicken, but he’s kept himself in shape and is now playing much better after a rough start at the beginning of the season. And did the Yankees have anyone to replace him? (And, no, Yankee fans, we are not giving you Jose Reyes for A.J. Burnett.)

It was just a reminder of how employers know they have the upper hand with employees these days. Get too old? We’ll get rid of ya. (A lot of that going around.) Make too much money? Buh-bye.

Would the Yankees have won all those championships without Jeter? Probably not. I think their winning had more to do with Mariano Rivera, but Jeter was a big part of it. He’s been a good soldier for the organization and has never embarrassed himself or the team (something I cannot say about quite a few Mets). Yet the team publicly dissed him. He did sign, but for less than he wanted just to stay with the team he’s worked so hard for and that apparently has very little respect for him despite his years of loyalty. I know the feeling, DJ.

Back to the other shortstop in town: To be fair, Jose hasn’t been a jerk about his impending free agency (for that, see LeBron James). He has said numerous times that he loves playing for the Mets and playing in New York. And why wouldn’t he want to stay? There’s no better stage for an athlete than NYC and it has a large Latino population.

I would hate to see him go, but my gut feeling is he will not stay with the team.

That’s his choice. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had the same opportunity?

Dear Corporate Fat Cats

Dear Corporate Fat Cats:

I, and so many other unemployed and put-upon workers, owe you an apology. Yes, an apology.

We never realized how hard it is for you to lay off so many workers. I remember the day when my boss had to tell several co-workers that they were being laid off due to budget cuts. He said how draining it was for him to tell those people their jobs were being terminated. Oh, he caught himself soon after and said that, of course, it was tougher on the people losing their jobs. But that was nothing compared to what he had to go through in telling people their employment, paychecks and quite possibly their careers were coming to an end.

So, I now understand how difficult it must be to lay off so many workers so profits can be kept high. Isn’t that why we were laid off, to save the company? How selfish of us to think of ourselves and not the corporation.

Yes, you must keep those profits soaring and not hire any more workers and overwork the ones you already have. How else can you rake in those big bonuses that keep you in million-dollar homes and fancy cars? Without those bonuses, your children won’t go to the expensive private schools and Ivy League colleges that will give them best chance for top-paying jobs someday. Why must they compete against people who went to state schools or—horrors!—a community college? The unfairness of it all!

And the way some in the government treat you is just so unfair. Imagine—they want corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. But how can you pile on the profits when you are asked to pay taxes? And those pesky regulations? Better we should go back to a no-oversight system like we had back in the late 19th century, when there were no unions or safety regulations. Why should workers be protected when there are corporate profits to be made?

But I must say, it’s getting harder and harder for us workers to buy goods and services on our unemployment checks or paychecks that haven’t seen a raise in a year or more. At some point, won’t our inability to purchase cut into your revenues? The workers in the factories you placed overseas to boost profits will stand idle. Corporate profits may shrink.

And I know how hard that will be for you, Mr. Corporate Fat Cat. You have my deepest sympathy.

Sincerely,

The American Worker

“It’s business, not personal”

I’ve been watching two of my favorite movies this week: Godfather, Parts I and II. I’m partial to Part II myself, but Part I has a great scene that reminds me of something I was told the day I was laid off.

It’s the scene where Sonny Corleone and Tom Hagen and others plot their next move after Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo shot their father, Vito, the Godfather. Michael Corleone is also present, after having his jaw broken by a corrupt cop.

Hagen reminds hotheaded Sonny not to get carried away with revenge, that what Sollozzo did was “business, not personal.”

Then Michael, who has so far stayed out of the family business, chimes in, saying he should be the one to kill The Turk and the police captain. Michael insists that it’s not personal, it’s business.

Well, of course, it’s personal. Anybody with a spit of Italian blood in them (like me) knows this is about as personal as it can get. Every decision Michael makes from then on is made from a sense of personal revenge, a lifelong vendetta. His enemies shot his father, killed his brother and blew up his Sicilian bimbo wife (“Michele, Michele." BOOM!). How could he not take that personally? (However, even I think he went too far when he had his brother, the poor, pitiful Fredo, killed.)

Yet, companies insist that massive layoffs are done for business reasons, not anything personal versus their employees. Yeah, right.

During my layoff meeting, I was told it was a business decision and no reflection on my work.

Well, I beg to differ. While I agree companies must cut back in hard times when revenues are lean, how those layoffs are handled bring in a personal element that is unsettling to say the least.

First, why are some people given the power to lay off other people? Why are they the chosen ones?

Any company that laid off people in late 2009, as I was, knew those tossed-aside employees were facing a difficult employment market and would be out of work for a long stretch of time, as I was (16 months). Our lives were being disrupted through no fault of our own.

When someone is out of work for that long, how can they expect to feed their families and pay their mortgages? What companies see as purely a business decision has devastating personal ramifications on the people they put out of work. How is that not personal? But I guess these corporate overlords can justify anything as long as profits are high and their bonuses keep rolling in.

As is so often the case, after I was laid off, I found out some things that made me wonder just how much of the decision to terminate my employment was based on personal, rather than purely business factors. Such as:

Another editor with less time in the company and who was making more than me was retained. Was he more valuable to the company than me? Perhaps. But perhaps he was kept on because he was the boss’s handpicked lapdog.

The day before I was let go, three of my former colleagues argued in favor of keeping another colleague scheduled to be laid off the same day I was. Why? Was it because he was popular and was one of the cool kids? (Yes, the workplace is just like high school.) Or was it because, as I later learned, one of those colleagues was lazy and afraid if they laid off this person his workload would double? So, I was thrown under the bus because of another person’s laziness?

In the two years leading up to my layoff, the head of the department systematically terminated the employment of anyone who was near him in seniority. Again, he said it was because we were making too much money. But was he afraid of having experienced people around who could replace him? After all, he was making more than any of us. Our parent company could replace him with any of us for less money. Now that there is nobody left but only his handpicked puppets and less experienced staff, his job is safe.

He was also someone who didn’t like it when co-workers, particularly women, questioned him. Was he trying to get rid of people he considered troublesome employees so he could surround himself with his personally selected acolytes? Just asking.

So you see, companies may justify their layoffs by saying it’s done for business reasons. But the impact on those they lay off is very personal. And how can we be sure that those making the layoff decisions aren’t bringing in their own personal feelings (vindictiveness? favoritism? insecurity?) into the equation rather than a purely business perspective? It’s a system ripe for unfairness and abuse. How can they expect us not to be pissed off when we get the boot?

Therefore, when a worker is called into a room and told they are being laid off for business reasons, the perfect response would be:

"Vaffanculo"

Let's Make a Deal

Frankly, I’m getting a bit sickened by what is going on in Washington, D.C. Our so-called leaders are supposed to discussing how to tame our monstrous national debt. But they seem more interested in sliming the other party instead of working out a deal.

The Republicans seem more intent on putting the blame on President Obama so they can win the next presidential election. They also seem to care more about protecting tax breaks for corporate jets than helping the average working person.

They would rather cut benefits for unemployed people and seniors than making Wall Street fat cats pay a penny more in taxes. Shameful.

Meanwhile, the Democrats aren't coming off much better. Yes, they want to protect entitlement programs, like Social Security. Good. But the deficit is out of control and some cuts must be made. Why not make Social Security and Medicare a means-tested program? Those who have more resources should pay more. Raising the retirement age is another reasonable option. Again, the Democrats aim to make the other party look bad…and the Republicans are making it easy for them, I must say.

This all brings me back to the unemployed. If a debt deal is not done, states will surely cut unemployment benefits. Not good for someone who has been out of work for a year or more with no hope of getting employed again.

Most ominous of all, if the nation defaults, companies will cut even more workers, killing a fragile recovery and pushing the unemployment rate even higher.

Some politicians, mostly Republicans, think unemployed people are lazy. Not true! We want to work. But if their corporate benefactors won’t hire, then we can’t work. We need jobs. But companies are more concerned with piling up profits, not keeping people employed.

Hey, if the NFL owners and players could get a deal done, why can’t our politicians? People will suffer all because of their political game of chicken.

So, please, get it done, guys!

Being George Clooney’s Girlfriend

By now, we have been shocked, shocked to learn that George Clooney has broken up with his most recent girlfriend, Italian stunner Elisabetta Canalis, after dating for two years.

None of this should have come as a surprise. George has made it very clear he has no intention of ever marrying again. And there is nothing inherently wrong with that. At least he is honest.

Yet I can’t fault the girlfriend either. After two years of dating, she was perfectly within her rights to ask if the relationship was going to the next level (marriage). Alas, here were two people with different outlooks on the future.

Nevertheless, both got something out of the relationship: He got to be seen with an age-inappropriate hottie on his arm at movie events. She got to spend time with one of the most handsome and eligible guys in the world at his villa aside Lake Como in Italy. Hey, I’d make that trade-off any day of the week.

So, what does this have to do with employment (and unemployment) in the 2010s? A lot. Here’s why:

No long-term commitment. As an employee of any company these days, you cannot expect your bosses will commit to you long term. When things turn bad, you will get the boot faster than, well, a girlfriend of George Clooney.

Leave after two years. Really, Elisabetta should have seen this coming and moved on a year earlier. He usually doesn’t stay with one woman for much longer than two years. So as an employee, lay the groundwork for your exit no later than two years after your hire. Take control of the situation before you get the heave-ho. It’s gonna happen, so why prolong the inevitable?

You will get screwed. And I don’t mean in the good way.

Both George and Elisabetta will end up fine. He will get another pretty young chickie to squire around to show he’s not getting old. She will get movie parts and modeling gigs and another rich boyfriend.

The same cannot be said of the millions of unemployed people still waiting for a job.

Oh, and George: Call me.

Disposal Workers

I read something recently in one of those advice columns. A woman wrote in, telling her story of how she was laid off from her former employer after more than a decade with the company.

She said she still felt bitter and angry about her termination, and was still obsessing about her former company. The advise columnist wrote back that she should basically get over it, move on, and that her former employer owed her nothing for her years of service.

Yes, the columnist made a good point. I freely admit I let my bitterness and resentment over my layoff consume me at times (but never to the point where I stopped looking for another job).

However, my second thought was that the advice columnist has probably never been laid off, and has always worked freelance or been her own boss. So, how can she know what it’s like to be laid off after many years with a company?

Is this what it has come to for millions of working Americans? We’re nothing more than disposal paper cups to be tossed aside when we have outlived our usefulness to our corporate overloads?

I understand companies must make staffing cuts to survive in harsh economic times (although I’d like to think there are other solutions). But it seems to me that all the power has shifted to the executive suite and workers have little or no say in the matter. Where is the balance? Where is the fairness?

Companies expect loyalty from their workers, but what are they giving us in return? No job security, no raises and crappy health plans.

Are we nothing more than disposal workers?

Computer Phobia

So, I’ve been on my new job for more than two months now and it’s getting a bit easier. At least my body has gotten accustomed to waking just before the sun rises.

My boss has liked my work so far. However, in a few weeks, I will be confronted with my old nemesis: technology. Due to someone leaving the company, I must learn new duties that include being trained on new computer programs. I don’t mind the extra work, but learning new technology has never come easy for me. I trace it back to my first job, when we trained on a new computer system (the first Apple computers, really) and my trainers openly mocked my inability to learn quickly enough for their tastes. Geez…have I spent my entire working career around total jerks?

I have become friendly with a couple of people in my office who can perhaps help me on this program, which, by the way, is going to be changed in two months. Great…then I have to learn another computer system. Yet by all accounts this new system is easier. Let’s hope.

This brings up another set of issues, beyond just learning new systems and more duties. Just how much work should I do for this company? A few weeks ago, I did some work over the weekend. Should I have done so?

At my previous place of employment, I worked my tail off, did two and three jobs for them, took work home on the weekends…and where did it get me? Laid off. So why bother extending myself?

Of course, I want to do a good job. Never again do I want to endure an extended period of unemployment.

But I sometimes wonder if companies are taking advantage of this sluggish job market to force workers to work even harder for little or no raises. (I’m making much less than at my previous job and who knows when I will get a raise.)

The attitude of employers is that we are lucky to have a job and if we complain, well, go find another job. But there are no jobs to be had, despite what some politicians and economists say.

What should I do? Well, I’ll try to learn the new technology to the best of my ability (albeit not very quickly) and find a way to squeeze more work into my day.

Until they lay me off.

Double Dip

We’re headed for a double dip…and not in a good way.

Unemployment is inching up as employers still refuse to hire. The housing market is still sinking. Natural disasters in the South and Midwest are taking a heavy toll both financially and emotionally. Are we headed for a double-dip recession?

We could be.

Some pundits argue that we should load up on national debt in an effort to create jobs. Others want to reduce the debt, regardless of how it shreds the social safety net. Who’s right?

Should we raise taxes? Rich people are angry because they don’t want their money taken away and given to those who they deem lazy and unworthy.

Corporations say they can’t hire because of excessive taxes and regulation. However, there is no assurance they will hire if taxes and regulations are lightened.

Meanwhile, companies and even state governments are crushing unions. So who is speaking up for the middle class?

Rich people and big corporations have lobbyists and can buy influence with politicians. But who is sticking up for the little guy? At one time, it was the unions, but their clout has been nearly obliterated.

I’m no fan of debt. But I don’t think we can get out of this situation by cuts alone. Taxes must be raised, but it should be done fairly, where everyone pays their fair share.

If the economy falls into another recession and workers are cut en masse, I don’t think those laid-off workers will go as quietly this time around.

Flashbacks

I had an incident of PTLS, otherwise known as Post-Traumatic Layoff Syndrome, at my new job last week.

Two people from the HR department of the parent company visited my satellite office for the day. The head of HR immediately went into a closed door meeting with the head of the division. So, of course, I freaked out a bit (ok, a lot). HR + closed door meeting with head of division = layoffs. At least that’s how it happened at my previous place of employment. The big guns shut themselves off in their corner offices and decide who stays and who goes. Nice work if you can get it, eh? And why are some people given the power to make those decisions? What makes them safe from termination?

Crazy thoughts went through my head: Would I get laid off again? You know, last one hired, first one fired. Had I been there long enough to qualify for unemployment? Good thing I didn’t buy that new iPhone. How long will it take me to get a job this time around?

My immediate boss assured there was nothing to worry about. In truth, it may just have been that the HR lady was making her normal rounds of the satellite offices. Apparently, there was a major meeting of the company’s board the same week. Not that there was any formal announcement to us peons. I only knew because I saw a printout at the copy machine.

Actually, nothing much happened, except they bought us lunch. (Our last meal?)

Still…after having been through a layoff, and all the attendant rumors and stress that goes before and after the event, it’s hard not to be a bit skeptical and wary. These days, no one is safe. So excuse me if I’m being cynical. Frankly, I don’t trust any HR person or superior anymore.

It also got me thinking, if you know you are going to be laid off, what can you do, if anything?

After having been through the ordeal, here are some of the steps I took, or should have taken:

Talk to your boss. Admittedly, this is a tricky proposition and one that takes a good measure of courage. No boss is going to tell you are about to be laid off, fearing you might make off with company secrets. Yet, if you do take the initiative and talk to your boss in an honest, straightforward and unemotional manner, perhaps something can be worked out. You can say, “Look, I know the company is in financial trouble and my job may be on the line. Is there anything I can do to save my position? If not, can we discuss the possibility of doing some type of freelance or contract work for the company?” Even if you get shot down, you will always know that at least you took proactive steps to possibly save your job, instead of doing nothing and just waiting for the ax to fall like some powerless rag doll.

Pay off your debts. If you know the end of regular paychecks is near, best to pay off your debts as quickly as possible, even if you have to dip into your savings to do it. Unemployment covers the basics, but not much more. And if an emergency arises and you must use your charge card, at least the balance will be low. During my unemployment I had to buy a new computer after my old one literally went up in smoke. Then, my car needed new brakes (who knew brakes had rotors and that the rotors could, you know, break?). You simply pay the minimum each month until a new job comes along.

And let’s hope at that new job you don’t have any flashbacks. I say one layoff in one lifetime is just enough.

Reentry Blues

One week on my new job and how do I feel? Anxious, stressed out and overwhelmed. But I suppose that is normal considering how long I was out of work.

It took three days for my new company to deliver my computer to my cubicle, which is small, dingy and stuffy. I tried to keep busy, but without a computer it was difficult.

I guess I’m also feeling a bad case of buyer’s remorse. Is this the right job for me? Will I succeed? Again, that is probably normal.

I’m also getting used to a whole new set of office dynamics. The people in my office are friendly, but no overly so. No one offered to help me set up my computer. I hear very little chitchat among the staffers. But that may not be a bad thing. I’ve gotten myself into trouble being too nosy with co-workers and putting my foot in my mouth. Better to just do my job and keep my mouth shut.

I also fear having to learn a whole new set of computer programs. This Mac Girl is learning the ABCs of PCs and it won’t come easy for me. That’s on top of getting to know the actual job itself. No wonder I’m stressed.

My rule of thumb has always been that it takes at least three months to get comfortable in a new job, to the point where you feel confident you know what you are doing. Not that you know everything, it’s just that you don’t feel acute anxiety every time to step into the office.

I just have to remember that I was out of work for over a year and it will take time and patience to get readjusted to the working life.

Some other observations:

• While I do have a decent working wardrobe, it’s a pain to put on those clothes every morning.

• I used to commute on the bus to my previous job. Now, I drive, which means I must pay attention on the road. Good thing the drive is fairly short, about 30 minutes.

• Parking at my new office is nonexistent. I have to pay to park at nearby parking lot. Very expensive.

But it will be nice when I get that first paycheck.

Has anyone else felt the same way after getting a job after a long stretch of unemployment?

Back to Cubicleland

Yep, after 16 months without job, I start a new full-time job tomorrow.

I’m still in a state of shock that I finally got a job. Of course, I’m nervous. It’s been a long time since I’ve sat in an office cubicle from 9 to 5, judged by co-workers and bosses on a daily basis.

But I’m also relieved. It will be nice to have a steady paycheck and get off unemployment. The job will utilize my editing and writing skills, but I’ll be learning a new industry, which should keep me interested.

Yes, I did take a cut in pay from my previous job, but I never expected to get the same salary after being unemployed for so long. I had to be realistic. At least I have healthcare coverage through my employer.

I have to admit, I’m anxious. After a bruising layoff and no job for over a year, it will take some time to get readjusted to the world of the working. And as a technophobe, I’m not looking forward to learning new computer systems. Technology has never come easy for me.

I also wonder if I can do a good job. Will I fail? Even worse, will I get laid off once again? Well, I’ve been down that latter road before, so I know what to expect.

There were times when I went on interviews and I looked around at offices filled with cubicles that I sometimes thought, “Do I really want to go back to this? Do I want to get sucked into a vortex of office gossip and backbiting colleagues? I don’t want to be that petty and unpleasant person ever again.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to the job, which usually entailed writing and editing. It was the stifling atmosphere of being in a cubicle all day long and dealing with the different office personalities. I was also afraid I would behave in ways that would not do myself proud as I admittedly did in the past.

Yet recognizing that will go a long way toward helping me overcome those problems and hopefully become a better worker and colleague. I also have come to understand not to define myself by my job and try to get more of a life outside the office walls.

Freelancing was a tempting option. But I doubted, even with more freelance gigs, I could pay my rent plus the $500 a month it would surely cost me for health coverage. And to be honest, the isolation of doing freelance work from home was getting to me. Humans are social creatures and we need to be out and about among other people.

The job market has definitely picked up. In the same week I got the job, I received several requests to come in for job interviews and offers to do freelance work. Nevertheless, it would be risky to refuse this job and possibly not get another one in six months when my unemployment and COBRA benefits stop.

And as I have said before, never again will I stay in a job for as long as I did my prior job. I don’t see myself staying in any position for more than two years. Never say never, but I don’t think working with one employer for an extended period of time is wise. Companies have no qualms about cutting thousands of workers in one fell swoop. So why not be on the lookout for better opportunities and take proactive steps to further and protect your own career? Never again will I believe my bosses have my best interests at heart. That was a painful lesson I needed to learn.

While I’m glad to have a job, the experience of being unemployed for so long will stay with me for quite some time. There are still millions of people out of work and our economy is still not out of the woods, despite what some economists pontificate. We need stability in our economy, not boom and bust cycles that leave thousands unemployed for months and months.

And let me say a word about unemployment benefits. Many politicians and others disdain these benefits. But I say these weekly payments served their stated and useful purpose of helping many people without a job stay afloat financially so they could feed their families and keep a roof over their heads while they searched for another job. Yet even with those benefits, many unemployed workers went into bankruptcy or lost their homes through foreclosure.

It’s great to have a job, but remember, I’m making less. Similar to many others, my spending power will be curtailed. That will reverberate in the economy (and at Macys).

I’ve decided to keep writing this blog. My love of writing (and okay, self absorption) is great enough to keep me at it. I will chronicle my reentry into Cubicleland after an extended period of unemployment; the ups and downs; and what advice I can give to others in the same situation. The psychological impact of my layoff will linger for a while, and those observations may be a help to others still looking for employment.

So, back to work I go. Here’s hoping many others soon follow.

Revenge of the Laid-Off Employee

Revenge takes time.

Sometimes you have to wait…and wait…and wait…and then wait some more. Think of Vito Corleone in Godfather Part II. Remember how he waited years to take revenge on the man who slaughtered his family, Don Ciccio. As a young boy, he escaped to America, but never forgot what that mafia chief did to his mother, father and brother. So when he became a successful “businessman” in America, he returned to Sicily and killed Don Ciccio with a well-placed knife in the old man’s stomach.

Now, I’m not advocating murder. That is a fictional—and extreme—example of revenge. I apologize if anyone is offended by my admittedly over-the-top illustration. But stay with me…because something happened recently that indicates that sometimes, if you wait, you can get your revenge on the people who have done you wrong. Or at least show them the error they made by say, laying you off.

Long story short: I recently went on the website of my former employer. In looking over the most recent articles, I noticed a story that seemed very familiar…and for good reason. The article was taken nearly verbatim from one I had written in 2009. The writer, a former colleague, had interspersed the article with some original quotes, but about half of the article was taken word for word from mine. Yet it had her byline. Stats that are nearly two years old were used and one quote in my original piece was attributed to another person in the latest version. This was an obvious and blatant case of plagiarism, not to mention misleading and shoddy journalism. There was no mention made of the earlier article or any credit given to me. To anyone who reads it, he or she would think it was original, not a rehash of an article nearly two years old

What did I do? I wrote a strongly worded email to my former boss, alerting him to this situation. I said that he could think of me as a disgruntled former employee. But I also pointed out that the proof was in black and white.

He wrote back and said he would “address” the issue in a meeting. He seemed sincere, but I don’t know if anything was said to the writer. Since I no longer work there, he is under no obligation to tell me what occurred in the meeting—if there were one at all.

My guess is that this person got a mild slap on the wrist. At worst, she may be put under an “employee improvement plan,” during which time her work should be closely edited. But I have no way of knowing what action, if any, was taken. Knowing the personalities involved, they probably just wanted to sweep the whole mess under the rug.

But the fact that this so-called editor is still working there points up the unfairness of layoffs. Someone who is so obviously incompetent gets to keep her job, while a laid-off employee has no chance to save his or her job.

To be honest, I don’t feel good about this. Yes, I stood up for myself, but to what end? I’m probably viewed as just another disgruntled employee, a bitch. I was raised to be a “good girl” and not make waves. So this was painful for me. I thoroughly expect the universe will whack me in the butt sooner or later for my rare foray into assertiveness.

Instead of taking the blame squarely for her mistake, the writer is probably angry with me for “tattling.” Yeah, we’re in junior high school. She is a grown woman, a professional. She made the mistake, a pretty egregious one, and now has to own up to her error and not make it again.

But she won’t. She is well liked by the powers-that-be, so she is safe. Easier to blame the messenger and not take any responsibility for her actions.

Yet it could be argued that she violated our former office friendship by ripping off my work. And why did she do it? Why not write a shorter story using her own reporting? Or pick another topic altogether? Yes, the remaining staff is overworked. But none have resorted to this level of plagiarism. There is no excuse for passing off someone else’s work as her own.

Maybe she thinks there was nothing wrong with what she did. That is sad, and incorrect. Just because I worked for the company when I wrote the original article doesn’t mean she, or anyone else, can steal my words.

I don’t plan on taking this any further. No point in it anyway.

But I do take some satisfaction in speaking up and bringing this to the attention of my former boss, even if nothing came of it.

Think of it as wish fulfillment. How many times does a laid-off employee get a chance to say, with concrete proof, “HEY, YOU LAID OFF THE WRONG EMPLOYEE, YOU BOZOS!”

Vito would be proud.

The Bright Side

Seeing the photos of devastation in northeastern Japan serves as a reminder that there are far worse things that can happen in life than being out of work. As much as we think we have nature licked, every so often it reminds us who is really in charge.

So, in that vein, I’ll avoid my usual whine-fest and highlight some of the good things about not having a job. Here it goes:

Prime Time for PT. Physical therapy, that is. After I lost my job, I needed to undergo about three months of intensive physical therapy for a condition related to some prior surgeries I underwent. The treatments were twice a week, one hour each session. No way would I have been able to do the therapy and keep up my schedule at work. And I doubt my bosses would have allowed me to take time off during the workday to do it.

So, if you need physical therapy or elective surgery, do it while you are unemployed. Provided, of course, you are covered by health insurance.

Free Lunches. During my jobless stretch, several times friends have offered to buy me lunch. Of course, I always offer to pay, but I think most people want to do something nice for a friend going through a tough stretch.

However, don’t take advantage. You don’t want to end up jobless and friendless.

Afternoon Naps. Enough said.

Better Budgeting. I didn’t think I overspent while I was employed, but perhaps I did and didn’t realize it. Now I do. Nothing like a long stretch of unemployment to make you focus on your spending habits and expenses. That’s a good thing, and something that will stay with me after I get a job.

Volunteer. I’m in the middle of an eight-week program to help teach a young Korean woman in my town to speak better English. (I just hope she doesn’t end up with my Joisey accent.)

With no job, you really have no excuse not to do some type of volunteer work if you want to. And don’t think only of formal volunteer work. Take a friend or neighbor to a doctor appointment. Helping others provides a lift to your spirit at a time when you are not getting much positive feedback. It acts as a nice counterbalance to all those rejection emails.

Your Time is Your Own. When you work full time, it seems as if everyone from your bosses to family members have dibs on your time. Now, you can make your own schedule and do things at your pace, not someone else’s, whether it be doing errands or searching for a job.

That’s not being lazy; it just means you have a bit more control over your time and how you use it.

While I look forward to the day when I go back to full-time employment, I can appreciate this hopefully brief respite from the 9 to 5 grind. I’ve spent my entire working adulthood doing what other people wanted me to, and where did that get me?

Telemarketers Leave You Alone. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped telemarketers cold in their tracks when I tell them I cannot give because I’m unemployed. In the beginning, they would press me to buy some useless magazine or donate to everything from children with cancer to the hangnail foundation. Now, they can’t get off the phone with me fast enough. Yep, it’s a sad indication of just how far you have fallen on the socio-economic ladder when telemarketers hang up on you! I’m surprised none have responded that although they may be telemarketers, at least they have a job. Still, it’s nice not having to deal with those annoying people.

All these good things remind me to keep my situation in perspective. Someday, I will get a job and my old life back. Can the same be said of the thousands of people in northeastern Japan?

Statistical Illusions

We’ve all read or heard about the jump in employment in February. However, that good news comes with a lot of caveats and questions.

Not to get bogged down in numbers, but here are the stats from NPR.org:

The Labor Department says the February jobless rate fell a tenth of a percent to 8.9 percent. The AP says that’s the lowest rate in nearly two years. Employers also hired at their fastest pace in a year.

The New York Times points out the separate jobs creation report reveals a huge jump in hiring: 192,000 jobs were created in February, compared to January, when 63,000 new jobs opened up. The higher growth in (February) payroll employment was partly the result of a bounce back from unusually depressed hiring in January, when snowstorms shuttered offices and factories around the country.

In another article, NPR points out that the numbers might be incorrect:

The unemployment rate is based on the Labor Department’s monthly Current Population Survey, which is a questionnaire sent to about 60,000 households. That translates into about 110,000 individuals, and is a far bigger survey than any conventional public opinion poll.

But it still has a substantial margin of error—higher than the government’s survey of employers, which is the source for statistics about jobs gained or lost every month.

Maybe it’s my outta-work-for-more-than-a-year cynicism, but I’m not buying this supposed “good” news.

Yes, there are a few bright spots: manufacturers added 33,000 jobs in February. America is always at its best when it makes things. Temporary hiring is also up, which is a precursor to permanent jobs. We hope.

So, what does this indicate for the economy as a whole? Will more industries start hiring? In my profession, does this mean publishers and media companies will see a spike in ad sales and hire more staffers? I don’t think so.

Companies have probably cut as much at they could cut in terms of staffing. But I doubt that means they are going on a hiring spree.

I’m not sure one month of good employment news means much. And is a near 9 percent unemployment rate anything to cheer about?

Will this give HR people even more reason not to hire us? They could think, “Well, job creation is up and these people still can’t get hired? Something must be wrong with them.”

Will the always-fickle media now forget the plight of the long-term unemployed with hiring supposedly on the upswing?

What happens if gas goes to up to $4 a gallon or more? Will that push this fragile recovery back into recession?

And what will happen to the unemployment rate when those thousands of state workers and teachers around the country get laid off?

Even if someone does find a job, it’s very likely he or she was hired at a lower salary. How does that help the economy?

I’m sure there are many persons who have been jobless for so long that they have given up hope of ever finding employment, which may be artificially lowering the unemployment rate.

Many economists have said it will take years to recoup the job losses piled up in this recession. We need more than one month of “good” job numbers.

For the millions of us who are unemployed, until we are actually hired for a job, these numbers are meaningless. Just a lot of statistical illusions.

Sloppy Seconds

Yesterday, I received a most unusual rejection email.

It went like this:

“Thank you so much for your terrific edit test, but we have decided to go with another candidate at this time.

It was a really tough call—I wish I could hire two editors! However, if things don’t work out as we have planned (and they sometimes don’t with freelance situations), I do hope you’d still consider the position.

I would like to keep the lines of communication open, as you are wonderful writer, and your experience and expertise would be a wonderful asset to our organization.

It was a pleasure speaking with you—so please stay in touch.”

Hey, at least it wasn’t the standard “We’ve decided to go with another candidate and good luck in your job search” (dis)missive. I mean, are companies truly sincere when they wish us good luck in our job search? If they really cared, they would hire us, right?

And I really don’t get upset when I receive a rejection email. It’s just part of the job-seeking process.

But I digress.

This particular job was for steady freelance work that would have paid $2,000 a month. I could have kept doing my other freelance gig, but probably would have had to give up the unemployment benefits.

The job entailed writing and editing for the website of a regional lifestyle consumer magazine. I’ve been trying to break into consumer publications for a while, so this would have been a good opportunity.

However, the job required a lot of technical expertise that I do not have at this time. Although when I spoke to the editor, I made it clear I was willing to learn and she said there would be a training period. My guess is she went with somebody who already had those technical skills, which is understandable.

I feel two ways about the email. On one hand, she did compliment my writing. We unemployed people get so little feedback—good or bad—that any positive reinforcement is welcome. Considering unemployed job seekers are treated with either indifference or outright rudeness, her email was quite nice. She didn’t have to explain anything to me. Most companies don’t even bother getting back to applicants.

Yet, I came in second and still don’t have a job. And sometimes coming in second can be just as devastating as finishing last (see the New York Mets, 2006-08). It’s extremely frustrating.

And what if the person she hired works out? There’s no guarantee she would hire me. I’m just sloppy seconds.

And frankly, I think it’s a bit presumptuous of her to think I’d wait around for her to offer me the job, a job she has already rejected me for. If another viable, full-time opportunity comes along, of course I would take it…although that is looking increasingly unlikely every passing day.

Nevertheless, I wrote back to her, thanking her for her kind words. I also said I would be available for any freelance writing projects. What else could I say?

Tell me about your unusual rejection emails or letters.

Friends With [Unemployment] Benefits

Can unemployed people be friends with those who have a job? And can you still be friends with someone you used to work with after you’ve been laid off and that person still has a job at your former employer?

I’ve been thinking about that lately because I think a person who still works at the place I was discharged from wants to break off our friendship. Nothing concrete, just a vibe I’m getting.

This person was my second-in-command at the magazine I edited. I was her boss, but I always treated her with respect and never, ever raised my voice to her (which is more than I can say for the people who supervised me). We divided the work fairly between us, helped each out and got along quite well.

So much so that after I was laid off, she suggested we meet for lunch. She lives close to me, so it wasn’t a problem for us to get together on a Saturday afternoon for a meal. We’d meet about once a month.

Yet the last time we met, when she said goodbye, she didn’t suggest getting together again. I’ve sent her two emails, but she has not responded in nearly a month.

Now, I know I sound a bit overly sensitive, even paranoid. She is probably busy with other things in her life. But what would it take to respond to an email?

Yes, we would talk about my former place of employment. She’s even volunteered some juicy office gossip, which I’m careful not to spread.

Perhaps she got sick of hearing me whine about being laid off and my jobless state. Does she feel guilty about being kept on while I was kicked to the curb? She shouldn’t. Layoff decisions are nearly always capricious and illogical. And I’ve never suggested she should have been laid off instead of me. None of us should have lost our jobs. But she may have perceived it that way. I never meant to imply that and if I did, I sincerely apologize.

Worse, does she think my layoff was justified, that I was a bad worker/boss?

She probably thinks I should just shut up about it. But I didn’t talk about my feelings that much with her. Yet the impression I got was that she didn’t want to hear it and that she never fully understood why I felt so bad about getting laid off. People never think getting laid off is a big deal...until it happens to them. However, if she thought about it, what happened to me, and so many people I worked with at that wretched place, could conceivably be her fate. I’m a reminder that no job is secure, and she may not want to face that fact.

Maybe I was wrong to think we could continue a friendship after I was laid off. I sometimes think it’s better if a whole company or department gets the boot. That way, there’s a sense of camaraderie among the laid-off workers. You don’t feel singled out. Everybody got the ax, so there was no possibility of favoritism.

When some are laid off and others are kept, well, it leads to an inequality and the inevitable “Why me?” question that can corrode even the best of office friendships.

So, I wish her well. I really don’t know how she feels, so I can’t make assumptions. If she wants to see me, she can get in touch with me. If not, so be it. I’m not reaching out again. Getting professional rejection is quite enough, thank you very much; no need to court personal snubs.

Perhaps it’s better this way. In a sense, keeping in touch with her kept me emotionally tethered to that horrid place. I need to break all connections with what was an extremely painful experience in my life and move on.

I also think I’m feeling slighted by her lack of communication because my list of friends has dwindled. Both my sisters live out of state. Another friend moved West a year ago. I have two other close friends that live nearby, but one is always busy and the other has been homebound by a recent back surgery. So losing her friendship is a bit upsetting to me.

I further wonder if unemployed and employed people can ever be friends. Is the gulf between us too wide? I hear a lot of employed people tell me how busy they are, implying that jobless people are lazy, that we whine too much. (Or am I being defensive?) Hey, it’s not whining if you have something to whine about, and losing a job falls into that category.

My answer to that is simple and twofold: We would surely help you out if your boss, or any company, would hire us. We want to work as much as they want the assistance. After all, we weren’t the morons-in-charge who thought slashing jobs was a good idea.

Employed people should also remember that none of us left our jobs voluntarily. We were laid off. We did not choose to be unemployed. Yeah, we love being broke and treated like lepers by the rest of society.

And just for the record: I have never asked anyone for money. I have too much respect for my friends—and myself—to ever do that. I'm not a freeloader.

Meanwhile, the people I used to work with got raises and Christmas bonuses.

Now, apparently, those of us who made those things at least partially possible because our salaries were eliminated don’t even rate their friendship.

But tell me. How do your employed friends treat you?

Talk About a Revolution

We’ve all been transfixed by the protests in the Middle East. Much has been said about the role social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter played in getting the crowds together for the demonstrations.

But why are they protesting? From what I’ve read, the young people in Egypt, Yemen and Libya want the same things a lot of their counterparts in the U.S. want: A job and the chance for a better life.

According to one Op-Ed piece I read recently, the unemployment rate for youth in this country is 48.9%. That means half of the young people in this country cannot find a job.

That’s disturbing on so many levels. One, how can these young people ever buy a home, rent an apartment or even buy a car without a job? And let’s not forget that many college graduates are burdened with hefty amounts of student loan debt.

This is not a good harbinger for economic prosperity in this country.

President Obama has implored business leaders to hire more workers, but so far, those words have fallen on deaf ears. Corporate leaders respond they are too “uncertain” about the economy. I think they are waiting for an even more friendly Congress to wipe out as many taxes as they can.

It must be equally frustrating for young people to stagnate at such a young age, a time when they should be making their mark in the world, when they are surrounded by so many images of success by people barely out of puberty. Justin Bieber is a superstar at age 16! Mark Zuckerberg a billionaire before age 30! And please don’t get me started on Ke$ha.

At least when I graduated from college it was expected that it would take some time before I climbed up the ladder of my profession…and it did. Now, young people have to be at the top of their field no later than their 21st birthday. That’s a heavy burden to put on someone just out of college.

Companies often say applicants don’t have the exact skills they are looking for. Well, you could train someone who is bright and otherwise qualified. But managers are lazy and they don’t want to train incoming employees. And it’s going to take time for schools and colleges to put in the necessary curriculum to educate young people in those new skills. There is going to be a lag. In the meantime, companies must teach new hires if they want their firms to grow and prosper.

Since I’m at the other end of the spectrum—I won’t give my age but let’s say I’m between Lady Gaga and Betty White—I have to say that this employment market has not been kind to older workers either. Many have been let go because of their supposed high salaries and employers view them as out of touch with today’s technology. That’s a bit unfair. I’m certainly willing to take a cut in a pay and learn new skills, if only someone would give me the chance.

It’s also been said that one way to reduce the national deficit is to cut entitlement programs like Social Security. But neither political party seems willing to do that. There’s a reason why it’s called the third rail of politics.

One suggestion has been to push up the retirement age. I’m all for that. Health permitting, I’d love to work well beyond retirement age. Provided, of course, I have a job. Raising the retirement age will only help cut the budget deficit if companies hire workers—of all ages.

So you see, young and old are not that far apart on this issue. Maybe we should get together and march on Washington, D.C. for jobs.

Young people can push our wheelchairs and in return, we’ll co-sign your car loans. A deal?