And This is What is Wrong...

With the American work force...or American way of thinking...

For whatever reason, work 50+ hour work weeks is standard practice here in the good ol America. Unfortunately, it has most people stressed beyond belief, far too overweight, unhappy in nearly all aspects of their life, and generally, couldn't care less about anything.

But here is the kicker - sick people at work. The same assholes who "pride" themselves in working way too fucking much, are the same douche bags who come into the office and get EVERYONE else sick. Which all the news stories of H1N1 this and flu season that, why do they feel the need to come into work?

I have the "added" pleasure of being in 1 room with about 25 or so odd people, sitting elbow to elbow (makes you want to work here, right?). So then, roughly 1/4 of the room is sick...25%!! I cannot overemphasize that enough! Regardless, the same people who come in here on their weekends because they feel the need to work "extra" hard, are the same ones in here trying to be a fucking hero and work through their "illness"...

Someone asked "If you get the whole team sick, it won't make the project more successful and, in turn, will make the team less efficient". The response you ask? "Oh, I'll be OK".

Seriously, if you're going to drag us all into a room with absolutely ZERO privacy, with ZERO opportunity to just relax and get away from it all, with ZERO chance of enjoying the work environment, the LEAST you can do is keep your sick self home!

I would GLADLY work from home, but again, the "powers that be" didn't provide me with a work laptop, so for me to get my stuff done, that's right - I gotta sit in this cesspool of germs, while the sick people hack, sneeze, click their throats, force open their clogged nose (with no tissue, of course) right in my face, in the stale air that WE ALL BREATHE....

Oh yea, the hand sanitizer, Kleenexes, and disinfectant wipes - yea, NONE of those are being used by the sick people....figures

NEW FLASH!!!

Obama had nothing to do with the Olympics and the CITY OF CHICAGO NOT GETTING THE BID!!!


LET. IT. GO. PEOPLE.

Well, Duh is My Response

http://www.managesmarter.com/msg/content_display/publications/e3id4b973c6ccee64b481f2cbb029268035

Take a quick gander at that article. The Reader's Digest version: An overwhelming majority of employees are looking to do something different.

I personally know around 10 friends who are in this EXACT same boat. We've stuck it out (and will continue to do so) at our current positions, but that isn't going to last forever. I, personally, am not actively searching - for the time being, I am ok where I am working. That doesn't mean anything.

There have been too many, what I will call, "eye-awakening-moments" in the past few years, that my friends and I have noticed. Usually, quiet, on our own moments - but something that just adds to the list of ever growing "grievances" in this American work-way-of-life. I've heard too many stories from friends who ALL.....ALL have the same experiences and feel the same way.

Some of the older crowd who reads this may think, it's just a Gen X/Y/Z (whatever) thing. NOT TRUE! Company loyalty means nothing anymore. My parents generation is a different story, however, that isn't always true - and for that matter, it shouldn't be true. Let's face it, unless you are given the money you think you deserve, work 35 hours a week with no specified mandatory work times, get all benefits paid, and haven't seen your 401K turn into a 201 or 101K (which, is probably nobody, lol) - nobody in this economy is or should be loyal to anyone. Period.

What is interesting, or what will be interesting, is to see what happens as a result of articles like this coming out. What will employers do, if anything, to make this change? Furthermore, what will employees do to make this survey come to fruition? If nothing changes on either side - well, then I can see that we ALL are going to be in for a very long few years - economically, socially, healthy....

Here's to new beginnings!