Labour Day 2013

Three rotten rough drafts later, I aspire to ‘the hook’ of the column that began with Boris the cat throwing up on my Bible and included school menus from upstate New York.
 
But alas, overwhelmed with the reality that all of my questions about people who are different than I have been answered with one explosive bit of research, I find no gentle, folksy entree to my thoughts for the first paragraph.
 
Additionally I don’t know who to address: the majority ,of whom I am not a part and who I wish would change, or the minority ,of which I am a part and wish to encourage.
 
Here’s the rub. I have a wonderful, almost puritanical work ethic. I have had this since I was a child. I love to work, hard, all different kinds of work and always try to do my best. I have always tried to engage with my jobs in such a way that I enjoy meaningful job satisfaction.
 
I grow despondent if I am not fully employed and irritated if I’m working for or beside people who do not share my values. I’ve only ever walked off the job three times.
 
One time I’d been assigned to full on night crew and it worked against both my responsibilities as a single Mom and my circadian rhythms.
 
The second time , was in error. If I’d known then what I know now, I would have mediated the situation entirely differently. God bless the learning curve.
 
The third time I discovered I’d been hired to watch a child while the Mom had an affair. When the Dad revealed he had cancer.... Well yea, that’s so not happening on my watch. Adios amigos.
 
By today’s American standards, my work ethic is stellar. Even when I was working full time as a public servant for the grand sum of less than a thousand dollars a month plus housing when the Dad in our family left and I had four very special children to support and comfort, I gave 110% every single day.
 
Do I share all this to brag? To pat myself on the back? To self aggrandize?
 
No. I share it to explain why I don’t fit sometimes and seem odd to so many in the work world. I finally understand what I thought was a character flaw.
 
You see, the latest research has determined that 76% of Americans hate their jobs. 76%!!!!! That’s outrageous. It’s up 28% from 2010!!!
 
Most of them feel like it’s always Monday and 18% of that 76% actually bring such a lousy attitude to work it effects their co workers negatively.
 
Well shoot, what do I focus on here? Do I say to the 76% ‘ Hey dudes and dudettes! Your sucky little attitude is adding so much negative energy to the world it’s bringing us down or driving us to drink, literally.’ ?
 
Or do I say to my fellow 24% , ‘Hey everyone! Just ignore them. Sing louder, smile more broadly, give more generously!’.?
 
Our country is struggling because work doesn’t matter anymore to 76% of the population and 24% of the population is oppressed by that.
 
Do you know what happens when you don’t care what kind of quality you bring to your service or product or when you’re just in it for the money, which I guarantee will not feel like enough? You hurt someone. Always.
 
I have no answers. I’m still pretty much on stun from the revelation of it all.
 
We need to address job satisfaction. Now that research shows that neither perks nor paycheck make a difference, we need to start some serious discussions about the definition and achievement of job satisfaction.
 
Jes’ sayin’. Nuf said. Discuss.
 Love,
Deborah