THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF UNEMPLOYMENT

I spoke to a company recently about the difficulty they are having finding entry level manufacturing help. Much has been said about the lack of qualified candidates having the requisite job skills to perform specialized positions available within our region – but it seems strange that no- to low- skilled positions are difficult to fill, also. Another testament to our times would be the employer heard on the radio saying that a job fair to hire 25 employees for $10.00 per hour (as long as they tested negative for drugs) resulted in 10 applicants.

While it is difficult to find work during these economic times, and there are individuals looking long and hard to find jobs that would utilize their abilities, it seems our unemployment system might be de-motivating some in terms of a job search by paying too much for too long. When the last unemployment extension passed Congress, the temporary service that this organization uses could not find qualified employees to fill their entry-level positions (someone actually told the firm that their unemployment benefit had been extended so they no longer needed to work!).

Michigan has a high level of unemployment (which understandably causes a high level of frustration to those legitimately seeking work) but it is very disconcerting when one hears that it is more economically advantageous to access the government system than to accept a position that does not pay very much money. Our country built upon the concept of free enterprise – the belief that a consumer-driven system whose ability to supply should meet or exceed its demands.

When did our country become so adept at giving to individuals according to their needs (or wants) while taking from individuals based on their ability to pay? We tread upon a dangerous path when we choose the one offering no resistance. Do not allow a third party (the Government, in this case) to remove your desire to taste the feast of success by filling you with cheese and crackers before the main course. While snacks are always welcome, they often cause us to lose sight of the meal to which we are entitled.

It is a slippery slope upon which we tread when we embrace the concept of getting something for nothing – for often nothing ventured truly does result in nothing gained!

WHAT RIGHTS DO WE HAVE TO WORKPLACE PRIVACY?

While our Constitution grants us certain freedoms and unalienable rights, do these freedoms extend into the workplace? There was once an understanding that individuals are accountable for what they do and say – has this accountability been lost over time? What ownership does an individual have (or expect to have) over personal materials found on his or her company computer – or does use of a workplace computer for personal reasons constitute a misuse of corporate resources? Does an organization have (and expect to retain) ownership to all thoughts, ideas, communications or activities that are generated “at or as a result of work”?

Our world is changing. Where once we worried about “unauthorized removal of company property” we must now concern ourselves with “e-communicated” thoughts, ideas, trade secrets OR the inappropriate use of company time due to potential misuse of the tools that we use to make us more efficient.

Does a worker have a “right to privacy” when at work? What is reasonable “personal use” of a computer (if any), of a copy machine (what is too much), or of the company phone system (is a personal conversation ever acceptable)? Conversely, if an Organization allows “limited use of company time and equipment” (as many do), does the Company retain the right to monitor any personal communications or examine any files marked “personal” if they stored on the individual’s assigned terminal or system?

We tend to create onerous rules and laws that are difficult to enforce as we attempt to protect worker privacy, workplace sanctity, and insure that employment discrimination has not occurred. Perhaps we should put as much time and effort into accomplishing the core objective of the workplace – to produce exceptional goods or services – as we do to insure that individual freedoms are retained. A return to the tenant that each individual should receive “an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work” might go a long way into eliminating the need for workplace privacy issues. What do YOU think?

LABOR DAY REFLECTION

Labor Day, the creation of organized labor meant to recognize the social and economic achievements of American workers, has become an annual tribute to the contributions our nation’s workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

New York City workers celebrated the first Labor Day in 1882. The first governmental recognition for the Holiday came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. Oregon became the first state to enact a law recognizing the Holiday in 1887. By 1894, 30 other states had followed suite in honoring workers. Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday shortly thereafter.

A street parade exhibiting to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of workers and their families were focal points of the first Holiday. As time passed, speeches have placed more emphasis on the economic and civic significance of the holiday than on the labor organizations at its roots.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone changes in recent years. It has become associated with the end of summer and a return to “business as usual.” Children return to school (delayed until after the Holiday by many states until the “vacation season” is done). With private sector union representation declining in our country, it has become a day to celebrate the American worker, his or her lifestyle, and the contribution our workforce has made to making ours one of the highest standards of living with the greatest rate of productivity the world has ever known.

At issue as we celebrate another Labor Day is whether or not the values of our past will carry forward into the future – whether the impact that generations of independent, hard-working individuals have had on our country and its wealth – will survive.

We should pause to consider that Labor Day recognizes and celebrates the American Workforce –the spirit that anyone can succeed if he or she is willing to identify a goal, to work hard towards its accomplishment and to sacrifice much for its fulfillment. Do not allow Labor Day to become simply another day off from work. It has grown beyond being a “worker’s Holiday” to a time meant to recognize the work we have accomplished and to celebrate the work that must still be done.

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON LIFE AND LEMONADE…

The sun was shining bright that day,
The skies did seem quite cloudy…
Spring's silent promise filled the air,
While thunder rumbled loudly…

Success within his grasp was sweet,
But failure fell upon him…
The nightmares of past losses clear,
Life’s dreams fought to supplant them…

Lemons were all ripe for harvest,
Though apples were abundant…
With lemonade his specialty,
Thoughts of cider seemed redundant…

These senseless thoughts and wanderings
Must quickly reach an end…
For life is not the things we’ve done,
Its hopes still ‘round the bend…

I hope you are having an enjoyable summer - and taking the time to make lemonade from any bitter fruit that passes your way. We often find ourselves beneath a fallen house of cards when we let troubles get the best of us – buried by life’s circumstances as they crash down around us. If we consciously chose to conquer just one thing at a time – even if we seem to fall two steps back for every step taken forward – simply making progress brings us closer to realizing the hopes and dreams awaiting us just 'round the bend...

TIME...

Time is seemingly in abundance when we have nothing to do – yet it flies as if on the wings of eagles when we would prefer it to stand still. Some tend to worry more about when they will finish the race than they do about the pleasure found along the way or the satisfaction of simply crossing the finish line. Many worry needlessly about things outside of their control rather than acting upon things over which they do have influence. Others feel they never have the time to appreciate the things around them so they dare not “stop to smell the roses.” Those individuals will often find themselves slaves to the very clock they so desperately sought to master.

Far too many people complain about their lemons rather than celebrating the opportunity to make lemonade. Instead of embracing their own individual gifts and abilities, they dwell upon the fact that others possess the things or attributes that they would prefer to exhibit. Rather than finding satisfaction in all they have accomplished, they see only what has not been finished due to a lack of time.

Whenever I become lost in time, chasing maddeningly after the tip of second hand as it races around the clock face, I remind myself that life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away.

Spend some time during the waning moments of summer to immerse yourself in the beauty around us – seeking solace in the cry of a gull or finding joy in the laughter of a child – then take your life back from the clock as it ticks relentlessly on. Then you, too, may find that time is but a measurement rather than the measure upon which we must base our lives.

IMAGINATION...

Imagination is the ability to challenge the world of “what is” by relentlessly asking “why not?”

I was splitting wood for our furnace several years ago. A neighborhood child joined me and began asking questions with every swing of my splitting maul. “Could you hear that if nobody was here to listen?” “Why can’t you burn the wood without splitting it?” The one that struck home was “Why didn’t you start at that log?” as I finished the job. To a child, starting at the end made a lot of sense. He saw my work as having been completed with the splitting of that particular log – and had I started there the job would have been finished almost before it began.

A person can show great proficiency without ever exhibiting imagination. Conversely, an individual will never demonstrate imagination by simply accomplishing the work assigned without asking “why not…?” Accepting a standard response to a “why” question often satisfies those willing to do nothing more than the minimum. An understanding of what must be done as well as a verbalization of what might yet be accomplished is demonstrated when one researches enough – or is interested enough – to ask “why not?”

Given the choice between a “doer” and a “dreamer,” I would prefer to live within my imagination than within my reality. A realist accepts only what can be defined and demonstrated – content to accomplish the dreams and desires of others. I would prefer to live amongst those who imagine what has not yet been proven – has not yet been established – for they will accept nothing less than the great things they are destined to accomplish in this world.

MEMORIES AND DREAMS

Many people live within the memories of their past, dwelling in thoughts of the safe places that bring them happiness and security rather than seeking new beginnings - living comfortably within a sheltered world of accomplishments. When life is contained within established thoughts and dreams of “what is” and re-enactments of “what has been,” can one ever realize his or her full potential?

Some dream of what could be, casting off the limitations of “what is” or “what was” in defference to the promise and possibility of what has yet to be - of how things might be different than they have shown themselves to be - establishing that nothing is impossible. Can one live within a world defined by everyday reality when continually seeking one of unlimited potential and possibility?

We need but our eyes to see but casting a vision requires our imagination. We need but our ears to hear yet understanding the cause and purpose of a sound requires our mind.

While our memories are necessary to remind us of what we have accomplished –of the things we can do, our dreams provide an indication of what has yet to be – leading us to places not yet realized. As we bring today’s dreams to fruition, they become yesterday’s memories.

If one ceases to dream, can he or she continue to grow – or to even exist?