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.