Working For a Living

Is it me, or is it just getting harder and harder each day to get up and go to work. Does anybody else feel this way?

Maybe I’m just getting old, but I am finding it a real drag to have to get up and go to work. I know, I know, unemployment is near an all time high, and I should thank the Lord to have ANY job.

I am thankful, and I do thank God for my job on a nearly daily basis, but there’s one thing that keeps bothering me; the job site is getting more and more stressful to work at. Every day it seems that someone keeps changing the rules of the work force game.

I have always been the proponent of management’s right to dictate the rules and policies of their companies. I always tell my co-workers “It’s their game; they get to make the rules.” The problem though, is they keep changing the rules, and it is making life more stressful.

My theory is that the bad economy has something to do with this trend. Every business is searching for ways to cut their costs, and their payroll. The first people they look to ax are the ones not protected by a union. Middle management employees (and some senior management) are under intense pressure to justify their paychecks. They actually have to act like they are valuable to the company.

What is the answer to their dilemma? Is it to brain storm the true problems that exist in the company, and figure out how to rectify them? No. Instead they sit around thinking up new rules for the employees to follow. They always give the same old reasons for these “important” changes; “we want you to be safer at work”, “we want you to be more productive”, but they are just trying to justify their existence.

Actually, it’s become a little more than that; and I think it is approaching harassment.

Like I said before, all companies are looking to cut payroll costs. Perhaps all these rule changes are nothing more than a browbeating to get all older, more vested, higher paid employees to retire. It makes sense. If the company can convince older people to retire, they can hire new employees at one third the cost.

The funny thing is that older employees would LOVE to retire. However, most of them can’t afford to retire, or won’t if they have to get a job as a greeter at Wal-Mart to do so.

I have a suggestion, can all the dead wood in middle-management (what a bonfire that would make!), and use that money to raise the retirement funds of the people that actually do the work. Then they could afford to retire and make jobs for the younger unemployed folks. This makes sense to me also.

So, how are things at your workplace?

We Hope You Have a Miserable Flight With Us Today

As I have mentioned before, I work for one of the major airlines here in Miami. The good news is I get to fly for free,(provided there is an unused seat available) the bad news is I get treated just like everybody else (crappy).


It seems that the airlines today are trying to get us to forget that you have to pay for checked baggage, overkill security, no snacks, etc. by treating us all like seven year old children. Flight attendant training now resembles nazi nun training as evidenced by the way these people patrol the aisles, looking for reasons to berate the passengers. Heaven forbid your seat is inclined 1" during take off or landing, because you will be made to feel as if you are the lowest of low.


I had my earphones on, and plugged into the planes' audio system as we taxied for take off. One FA stopped to yell at me, " all personal electric devices have to be turned off until after take-off!" I had every passenger within ear shot of me looking at me as if I were a felon. I then pointed out to the nice lady, that my headphones were plugged into the armrest and not some offending i-pod. Without a word, she just kept going looking for the next low down perpetrator. Throughout that whole flight, we had another nazi nun, er, FA, talking over the planes public address, telling us what was now permissable, and what was not permissible.


I am not a mechanic, but I do know that the shielding for the aircraft's radio system is good enough that every person on board could be operating ten i-pods each, and not effect it. So if that is the case, why the harassment? Could it be that they have nothing better to do? Like I mentioned, they no longer hand out pillows and blankets, no longer serve meals or snacks, and no longer assist passenger needs. But heaven forbid you HAVE to go to the restroom when the "fasten seat belt" sign is on. You will have every FA on that aircraft tell you to go back to your seat as you walk down the aisle, even if its two hours before landing.


Welcome to the friendly skies!

We Hope You Have a Miserable Flight With Us Today

I work for one of the major airlines here in Miami. The good news is I get to fly for free (provided there is an unused seat available). The bad news is I get treated just like everybody else (crappy).

It seems that the airlines today are trying to get us to forget that you have to pay for checked baggage, overkill security, no snacks, etc. by treating us all like seven-year-old children. Flight attendant training now resembles Nazi nun training, as evidenced by the way these people patrol the aisles, looking for reasons to berate the passengers.

Heaven forbid your seat is inclined 1" during takeoff or landing because you will be made to feel as if you are the lowest of low. I had my earphones on, and plugged into the planes' audio system as we taxied for takeoff. One FA stopped to yell at me, "All personal electric devices have to be turned off until after takeoff!" I had every passenger within earshot looking at me as if I were a felon. I then pointed out to the nice lady that my headphones were plugged into the armrest and not some offending iPod. Without a word she just kept going, looking for the next low-down perpetrator.

Throughout that whole flight we had another Nazi nun, er, FA, talking over the public address system, telling us what was now permissable, and what was not permissable. I am not a mechanic, but I do know that the shielding for the aircraft's radio system is good enough that every person on board could be operating ten iPods each, and not affect it. So if that is the case, why the harassment? Could it be that they have nothing better to do?

Like I mentioned, they no longer hand out pillows and blankets, no longer serve meals or snacks, and no longer assist passenger needs.

But heaven forbid you have to go to the restroom when the "Fasten Seatbelt" sign is on. You will have every FA on that aircraft tell you to go back to your seat as you walk down the aisle, even if it's two hours before landing.

Welcome to the friendly skies!