Paying the price for a Moral choice
While I do not wish to slander my former company, therefore I shall be vague in some of the details. I once was working in a good position with a fair amount of pay. My job while stressful, the days sometimes seem to never end, still over all I enjoyed the job and loved the people I worked with. Then times changed and the company retained new leadership. Changes came down the line that at first I perceived these as a good thing. The company had been struggling, things did not look to good on the horizon for us. As the changes took place the profits grew and there was a sense that we would continue to be.
To my dismay the changes kept coming, and profits were being made, but at what cost to my employees. It once felt as a family, now it is only numbers and profit. They started to take things from my employees such as vacation pay, employee meals went from sixty percent to fifty, and then to forty. Long term employees of great value were having their pay cut in half in some cases. Yet the CEO received a very sizable raise. Have you ever tried explaining to someone why we were taking their money away yet, the newspaper was proclaiming our success.
This did not sit well with my conscious, and after long discussions with my wife I changed jobs, it was a considerable cut in pay and far more labor intensive job. At first it was a struggle then as I started to fall into a new routine and the bills were paid. Then without warning the new job dried up and I soon found myself out of work. My resume is fairly extensive and solid yet jobs are few and far between right now. While I receive no paychecks, and no unemployment, as technically I am still employed, the bills continue to arrive every day.
My wife regrets me leaving my former job and holds it against me. I cannot begrudge her this. I do feel a twinge of regret for putting her through this, yet I still feel I did the right thing. I do however ponder the current economy, and the choice we have to make. What are we willing to sacrifice to stay employed? Unfortunately the employers have the upper hand in this economy, and can make demands they normally would lose good help over.
It has been six weeks since I have really worked and we soon may be living in a tent if I am unable to find work. Concerned? My concern is growing, I am not in panic mode for now. There is still time to recover if I can become employed soon. Dishearten is more the word I would choose. While I left the job in protest to the treatment of my employees, it perhaps was a fruitless gesture.
I had no misconceptions when I left, and knew I would not affect the over all operations of the company. More of I hoped to give them pause and time to reflect on the choices they were making. Perhaps I was dreaming, but it felt good to make a statement. Now upon reflection, what has it gain me? No work, a stressed out wife, and bills that threaten to drown us. Self respect? No, I all ready had that hence the reason for leaving. Then what? I struggle to answer this daily.
I try to live each day with a positive attitude and a smile for each new face I encounter. Times are hard yes, but this is no reason to give up. These are the time we need to be at our most caring and give with all our hearts. Time will only tell what will come, I still have great hope for the future. So smile, thing will get better.
To my dismay the changes kept coming, and profits were being made, but at what cost to my employees. It once felt as a family, now it is only numbers and profit. They started to take things from my employees such as vacation pay, employee meals went from sixty percent to fifty, and then to forty. Long term employees of great value were having their pay cut in half in some cases. Yet the CEO received a very sizable raise. Have you ever tried explaining to someone why we were taking their money away yet, the newspaper was proclaiming our success.
This did not sit well with my conscious, and after long discussions with my wife I changed jobs, it was a considerable cut in pay and far more labor intensive job. At first it was a struggle then as I started to fall into a new routine and the bills were paid. Then without warning the new job dried up and I soon found myself out of work. My resume is fairly extensive and solid yet jobs are few and far between right now. While I receive no paychecks, and no unemployment, as technically I am still employed, the bills continue to arrive every day.
My wife regrets me leaving my former job and holds it against me. I cannot begrudge her this. I do feel a twinge of regret for putting her through this, yet I still feel I did the right thing. I do however ponder the current economy, and the choice we have to make. What are we willing to sacrifice to stay employed? Unfortunately the employers have the upper hand in this economy, and can make demands they normally would lose good help over.
It has been six weeks since I have really worked and we soon may be living in a tent if I am unable to find work. Concerned? My concern is growing, I am not in panic mode for now. There is still time to recover if I can become employed soon. Dishearten is more the word I would choose. While I left the job in protest to the treatment of my employees, it perhaps was a fruitless gesture.
I had no misconceptions when I left, and knew I would not affect the over all operations of the company. More of I hoped to give them pause and time to reflect on the choices they were making. Perhaps I was dreaming, but it felt good to make a statement. Now upon reflection, what has it gain me? No work, a stressed out wife, and bills that threaten to drown us. Self respect? No, I all ready had that hence the reason for leaving. Then what? I struggle to answer this daily.
I try to live each day with a positive attitude and a smile for each new face I encounter. Times are hard yes, but this is no reason to give up. These are the time we need to be at our most caring and give with all our hearts. Time will only tell what will come, I still have great hope for the future. So smile, thing will get better.