UNITED STATES—When it comes to work we have those who have their dream jobs, then the rest of the America that go to a job that absolutely despise, but it brings them home a paycheck to help put food on the table, pay the bills and take care of the children. The pandemic did open the eyes to so many Americans that they don’t have to settle for dead end jobs. When I say a dead end job I’m referring to that place of employment with no growth opportunity and where the employee just feels stuck.
No one wants that anymore and I’m glad to see more Americans be choosy when it comes to what they commit to when it comes to work. Why? We spend more time at work than we do at home, so having choices is a great feeling. I had a dream recently that seemed so real, it was vivid and it just unnerved me. The company that I was working with wanted to just place me into a new role without my input or feedback. It was a simple you’re going to do this job and that’s that. However, I was NOT having any of it. I made it clear to the company if they’re expecting me to fill this role because they don’t have anyone else to do it, it’s a deal breaker.
Yes, I said that, it was a deal breaker America and I did not apologize for it one bit. Sometimes you have to put your foot down. It is a clear sign to your employer that you’re NOT going to allow them to just walk all over you and not have a say in what is going on. When you accept a job you have a good idea as to what your job duties are. It is another thing for your employer to just keeping adding duties to your plate that you are not familiar with and you’re just supposed to accept it. No. You can’t just do that without having a clear conversation before the acceptance of the job what the employee is expected to do.
That is not fair to the employee who becomes stuck in a situation where it is a damn if I do and damn if I don’t outcome. You cannot win and that is a terrible feeling to have as an employee, which explains why so many companies are still struggling to find workers. Look, the government did give out loads of money during the pandemic, but hello we were in the middle of a pandemic where businesses were shutting their doors left and right America. I mean let’s be honest what else would we have had the government do to ensure the economy as we know it didn’t just crash, burn and never recover?
At the same time, it forced employers to start being cheap when it came to labor. They were forced to start paying a decent wage to workers which has been an argument I have demanded for years. The fact that we even have a federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is laughable and just disgusting. I’m over the debate with members of Congress arguing it will hurt small businesses, well what about the damn people who work for their businesses. Shouldn’t they be able to earn a wage where they are not struggling day in and day night to survive and pay bills when gas was just over $5 a gallon in most states?
The American worker is fed up, the best way for me to describe it. The options are more endless now than what they have been in the past. They can choose where they want to work. They can choose what they want to do for work. That wasn’t always the case post 2020. Workers want to feel like they matter and that is what so many employers fail to realize: if you don’t treat people with respect or like human beings, you run the risk of losing them. You have to give more than you gave in the past and it’s NOT all about MONEY!
Hello, paid holidays, paid sick time off, vacations, bonuses and perks, these are things that people want when it comes to work environment. In addition, a flexible schedule is a must. Give and take a little don’t expect one person to just be locked in a schedule and not have that opportunity with a change here and there as needed. Americans are not just settling anymore, and employers need to wake up that options are now available to workers that they did not have before. If they’re no longer happy at their place at work, they can go elsewhere and that is the thing that more employers and businesses are learning each day. The worker or employee has options now and they are utilizing them more today than ever before.
Written By Jason Jones
