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Bobtn: True, although it seems only fair to assume that if a person performed well in the past, they'll probably do so again in the future if given the chance. Now, if a company sticks a top performer on a doomed program (probably to "turn it around") and then cuts that person because the doomed program cannot be saved, that's really the company's fault. In cases like that, the "leaders" who ran the ship aground need to be tossed out, not the poor sods stuck cleaning up their mess. Improper utilization of workers is a huge issue these days, as is lack of accountability, but I suspect the economy is going to have to get a lot worse before anyone in business takes these issues seriously, IMHO.
Bobtn: True, although it seems only fair to assume that if a person performed well in the past, they'll probably do so again in the future if given the chance. Now, if a company sticks a top performer on a doomed program (probably to "turn it around") and then cuts that person because the doomed program cannot be saved, that's really the company's fault. In cases like that, the "leaders" who ran the ship aground need to be tossed out, not the poor sods stuck cleaning up their mess. Improper utilization of workers is a huge issue these days, as is lack of accountability, but I suspect the economy is going to have to get a lot worse before anyone in business takes these issues seriously, IMHO.
Corporations do not care at all about your abilities, and being dead weight is often an advantage. While the real workers are doing their jobs, the dead weight bums are brown-nosing management to stay employed; guess who wins in the end?
I worked at my former employer for 10 years. I got a solid raise every year (normal for the company was every 1.5 years.) I have a trade secret and a half a dozen invention disclosures to my name, and I also received a half a dozen major monetary performance awards - engineers don't normally receive a dime in such situations. I also graduated 3rd in my class with my engineering degree. So, I guess I'm "dead weight" because some corporate stooges said so?
No, corporations will cut *anyone* if they can get away with it, and they'll refuse to hire *everyone* if they can get away with that, too. My sin was being the oldest person in my group and also just barely having enough years with the company to be part of the pension plan. The company "fixed" that problem by cutting my job and destroying my career to save a few dimes.
Meanwhile, the currently employed at that hole include sociopaths and bums, a senior manager who was arrested a few years ago for vandalizing nearly $10,000 in private property, and so on. One can count on dead weight staying employed if they have connections!
It takes me 3 days to find a job. I'm an entry level auto technician with a little bit of college. It takes me 3 days. I quit 4 jobs in the past year just because I can. It was either low pay hours I didn't like etc. etc.
I have friends and family members who are in the same position.
So forgive me if I have no idea where your coming from. One of my family members has been out of work for 6 months just because he needed a break.
He returned to work making 80K a year again. He's in IT.
So I don't understand your argument at all.
Your either necessary or not necessary.
And according to unemployment statistics and demographics being dead weight lands you in poverty so I'm failing to see how that's an advantage.
I agree with the things you're saying - the question is how does this country get out of this mess? Clearly, doing nothing isn't going to work, as we'll fall apart as a country if we do.
The key is to get everyone back to work, being as productive as they can. Nothing else will work, as everything else depends on the population working and earning paychecks and paying Social Security and Medicare taxes, which will be even more critically important in the years ahead.
I don't care *what* has to be done, but it has to be *something* in order to put people back to work again. Maybe we need a policy of total isolation, so we're forced to produce 100% of what we use. Maybe it means running out each and every single illegal immigrant in this country, as well sealing up the borders tight, permanently. Or maybe we need a series of state-owned corporations that has the sole purpose of putting people to work, competing against corporations that seek to reduce / eliminate labor.
It's high time that the American public put our democracy to work and force the government to create an economy that works for all of us, instead of the entitled few.
Times are changing.
Technology is changing.
Computers, Robots, heck even the internet is here to stay.
People won't go back to work because they aren't necessary anymore.
A lot of people need to understand that the market has changed.
Vital skills in demand, is what really get you ahead.
The jobs that were easy jobs that a 3 year old could do are not there or will pay below what you can survive on or barely survive on.
Why would corporations care what people want? To themthere supporting you by paying you 13.00$ hr for a job they can get someone to do for 7 or 6$ an hour and in some cases less then that.
The rules have changed and corporations aren't playing Mr.Nice guy anymore.
And whats funny is people can sit here whine and argue. This should be like this and that should be like this but their wasting their time and energy.
At the end of the day this is the market and it will always be like this although it may improve a little bit.
People asking for their jobs back is like asking a women to stop having an orgasm or trying to stop a dog from licking the toilet water or trying or trying to get a homeless man to hand over some of his food.
It takes me 3 days to find a job. I'm an entry level auto technician with a little bit of college. It takes me 3 days. I quit 4 jobs in the past year just because I can. It was either low pay hours I didn't like etc. etc.
I have friends and family members who are in the same position.
So forgive me if I have no idea where your coming from. One of my family members has been out of work for 6 months just because he needed a break.
He returned to work making 80K a year again. He's in IT.
So I don't understand your argument at all.
Your either necessary or not necessary.
And according to unemployment statistics and demographics being dead weight lands you in poverty so I'm failing to see how that's an advantage.
Well, wherever you live, the economy must be wonderful:
1) Just because a poorly run corporation lays you off does not mean you're "dead weight." That is insulting and also assumes - grossly inaccurately - that corporations only hire and retain the best, which is a joke. I cannot believe anyone here still thinks that corporations can do no wrong.
2) You have a friend who "returned to work" and "is in IT." Okay - did he change to IT from some different profession? And if so, how did he get past the absurd barriers being thrown up in front of even entry-level job applicants these days? If the answer is "connections," that is worthless and doesn't apply to most people out there. Very few people happen to be close friends with hiring managers outside of where they used to work.
3) As for IT, yes, it is in demand, at least in some places, but unless that is your field of study and you have the experience in it, that doesn't do most people any good. I get so tired of the old line about people needing to "pick majors that are in demand." Many people did, and now those jobs are gone. They can't afford a new degree, they cannot break into a new industry - because only "experienced" applicants need apply - and they are taking flak on all sides for being out of work. We're not talking art majors here: engineers, scientists, manufacturing experts - all are disposable in the new economy. Heck, even IT is being outsourced and insourced with visa workers as fast as possible.
That's great that you were able to find work in a few days, but that is not typical; people need to realize that.
1) Just because a poorly run corporation lays you off does not mean you're "dead weight." That is insulting and also assumes - grossly inaccurately - that corporations only hire and retain the best, which is a joke. I cannot believe anyone here still thinks that corporations can do no wrong.
.
Did your inventions create large, new revenue streams for your company? I ask, because one mistake corps make quite often is to act like a poor man winning the lottery, when a big new revenue stream arrives. They NEEDLESSLY add administrative staff. News Flash: Patents expire, knockoffs arrive, and the laid off fail to blame the executives in charge when the error occured, and they ramped up staff just because they had barrels loaded with money. That executive team actually did the layoffs, not the exec in charge when the patents expired.
Employees are responsible , too. they know when patents expire, and I've seen tons with exit opportunities a few years prior stay put, and than whine when they were laid off.
Every employee should view their employers profitability as vital to their own economic health.
Oh, the old place pulled that stunt all the time. Every time they had any hope of winning a job, they'd hire a mountain of people and pile on the managers. Time and again they did this, until they had an absurd number of managers and then couldn't find work for everyone. So, they laid off the engineers instead. The sick irony is that if you performed well there, you'd get more raises - more pay - than the poor performers. So... when they come around wiping out the more expensive people, they'll get rid of the better performers!
Yep, if you were a slacker who was lucky to get a minimal raise every 3 years, you had a much better chance of surviving than a guy who got a raise each year and a bonus! And the place wonders why they are still in trouble today... They laid off most of their talent, so what could be wrong?
I couldn't agree more. Some people have to scrape together change just to eat a burger from the dollar menu. Who knows how many people go without medications because they have no health insurance. I myself basically live off of sandwiches, cereal and pasta because my unemployment goes to my bills and I've no money left over to get decent food. I applied for food stamps and was only approved for 16 a month. I'm not ungrateful for that, but 16 a month isn't going to lend itself to a nutritious diet...
If I known that in five years time of purchasing my home that I would lose my job and live far below what I was accustomed to, I would have stayed at home with my parents.
I am one of those people going without medication because I can't afford it. I am trying to get assistance with asthma medication, but I haven't had much luck yet. Yes, you have to have money for good healthcare and good food. My mother is a retired nurse and saw many people come into the hospital with no insurance and poor. Anyhow, the hospital would purposely give these folks the cheapest, not the best, treatment available. For example, an asthmatic with no insurance who enters the emergency room will be lucky to get the breathing treatments he/she needs. Most likely, the hospital will give him/her a steroid shot and send them on their way.
$16 a month will probably only buy several cases of ramen noodles and maybe cereal. I am so sorry.
I finally found a low paying job in manufacturing after a long spell of unemployment. I am happy to have something, but it is tough to catch up when you only make $9.00 an hour. I am trying to save up the money to move.
Well, wherever you live, the economy must be wonderful:
1) Just because a poorly run corporation lays you off does not mean you're "dead weight." That is insulting and also assumes - grossly inaccurately - that corporations only hire and retain the best, which is a joke. I cannot believe anyone here still thinks that corporations can do no wrong.
2) You have a friend who "returned to work" and "is in IT." Okay - did he change to IT from some different profession? And if so, how did he get past the absurd barriers being thrown up in front of even entry-level job applicants these days? If the answer is "connections," that is worthless and doesn't apply to most people out there. Very few people happen to be close friends with hiring managers outside of where they used to work.
3) As for IT, yes, it is in demand, at least in some places, but unless that is your field of study and you have the experience in it, that doesn't do most people any good. I get so tired of the old line about people needing to "pick majors that are in demand." Many people did, and now those jobs are gone. They can't afford a new degree, they cannot break into a new industry - because only "experienced" applicants need apply - and they are taking flak on all sides for being out of work. We're not talking art majors here: engineers, scientists, manufacturing experts - all are disposable in the new economy. Heck, even IT is being outsourced and insourced with visa workers as fast as possible.
That's great that you were able to find work in a few days, but that is not typical; people need to realize that.
Our labor rate will keep dropping 63.6% now. We mostly likely will hit the 50% mark in 10 to 15 years. That means 50% of us will not be working at all. We may need to work but the jobs will not be there simple as that. Nor will it stop companies from sending jobs overseas. We looking at 25% of our jobs going overseas in the next 20 to 25 years. And just like with CNC workers will decline by 25% in the next 10 to 20 years. This will be happening across the board in almost every sector. We just will not need the workers simple as that. Technology will eliminate tens of millions of jobs and replace them with nothing. The first words out of a CEO's mouth when a new technology comes out. How many workers can I get rid of because of this? Number 2 is will it allow the work to be send overseas? Of the 50% left working. At least 20 to 30% will be underemployed. We will need less labor in the future not more. Business see they can get by with less and pocket the profits. This is why it takes forever to find a job. We just do not need the labor we once did. The million dollar question what happens when 50% of the population has no job? And their is no need for them? We are heading to social unrest at some point. The government will make massive cuts in health care and education at some point. This will lead to massive layoffs in the millions. It is going to be a bumpy ride hold on to your hats.
What is it you suggest we do? Slit our wrists? Enter the world of prostitution? Shoot porn videos? Become criminals? Become strippers?
I would personally like to feel that I have hope to better my situation. I would like a career with long term potential in a field I enjoy. I am wondering if there are any good jobs left.
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