Another Labor Day To Forget

Another Labor Day has come and gone here, and Americans did pretty much what they do when with their work tasks when at work. They ignored it.  Outside of the constant whining by unskilled minimum wage workers who keep asking the government to mandate a higher minimum wage, the labor movement isn't very big or productive. I think if Labor Day were abolished here few would notice or care. Give this country is a capitalist democracy emphasizing equal opportunity over equal outcomes, we don't have the social movements for "equality" that is found in many other places. In truth, American workers do work hard on the job but they are not happy about being there.

A recent Gallop poll of American workers looked at how Americans function at work. Its conclusion was discouraging. Seventy percent of the American workforce is going through the motions or, worse, is actively disengaged and seeking to cause problems. No wonder that woman at the Carl's Jr. hamburger restaurant keeps getting my burger order wrong. Gallup doesn't blame the workers for their apathy. Instead, it calls for companies to take steps to better connect with their employees. I am not sure exactly what that means. In a free market economy the only imperative for the employer is to make a profit. Providing comfort for the worker isn't' a necessity. The fact that the employee has a job and opportunity to prove him or her self should be enough.

Regardless of the less than favorable economic conditions today, Gallup said that worker happiness is most influenced by relationships on the job and a variety of other intangibles. Hmmm Not pay.  Among the factors that influence worker satisfaction are "the opportunity to do what I do best everyday" and working for a company with a mission or purpose "that makes me feel my job is important."  But someone who works in a low skilled job that is filled with repetitive tasks has little chance for that. Perhaps that kind of worker should be more realistic and not expect such abstractions.

The No. 1 determinant of worker engagement, Gallup concluded, is the way employees are treated by their bosses. Only the employers can make employees happy and they try to do so as much as feasible because happy workers tend to be more productive. But the cost of making workers happy can sometimes be so big that profit is lost.  As a result what most employers do is to simply fire the employee who goofs off at work or shows little interest in working hard. Seems reasonable to me.

Unfortunately the government today has sent a message to workers that their employer must "take care of them", provide unrealistically high wages and provide a fulfilling environment.  Is that really the responsibility of the employer? Should not the worker make his or her own fulfillment? If a worker is dissatisfied with his or her job should not the worker quit and upgrade the skill and education level to find a more fulfilling job?

The worker might be better off if he or she make him or her self enjoy coming to work. If not, they probably should work elsewhere. My Labor Day dream is that workers here will stop asking their government to force employers to "take care of them:, and instead decide they should be personally responsible for their own work experience. Personal responsibility is a quality being lost today.  Sad, because nothing is more satisfying or produces happiness more at or away from the job site.