Blog Post: Lucky to have a job?

I’m hearing more and more from people who are lucky enough to be working, but are facing difficult situations and attitudes from management and owners.  The “you are lucky to have a job” mentality is pervasive and causing undue stress to employees. 

A real life situation: An Executive Administrative Assistant works for the President in charge of Doctors at a small local hospital.  She was hired in at the top of the salary range with a vague job description.  At her yearly evaluation she was told she couldn’t get a raise because she was at the top of the range, although it was acknowledged she had gone way above the vague job description.  The reason, it would upset the other executive assistants.  So, a reasonable solution would be to compare her job duties with those of the other assistants, and possibly re-classify her if necessary.  NO, NO, NO said the HR Department.  My friend can’t get a job description, even her own, from HR and neither can the President.   

YOU ARE LUCKY TO HAVE A JOB 

Now, a financial downturn has hit the hospital.  It is decided the administrative staff, from the President on down, will take a 20% pay cut.  This is a major hit and when my friend asks “what about the $10/hr workers?” the response was “they should have considered a different career path or move to a larger city”.   

YOU ARE LUCKY TO HAVE A JOB 

In the meantime, the doctors do not receive a pay cut since they are the “revenue producers”.  A situation with holiday coverage came up.  Two doctors both want the time off, although they previously agreed to work.  The solution, bring in a new doctor to cover for the two doctors.  The cost…$8000 for the two days.   

Where is the “you are lucky to have a job” now?   

In this example, there is a pervasive, blatant, over the top, arrogance of highly educated doctors and senior administrators.  To me, the lack of empathy for staff is a disaster in the making.  Instead of using the talent, and suggestions from the people who do the work and are in the best position to offer real life suggestions, they are neglected and their efforts are dismissed. 

What are the possible consequences? 

My friend is angry, stressed with additional work, and dreads going to work where she is treated as second class.  She will update her resume and start putting out feelers for other positions.  Her loyalty is diminished, her trust is gone and her natural willingness to go above and beyond is crushed.  Why bother if it isn’t appreciated?   

This is one example.  Now multiply that by every employee in the organization and it is easy to see storm clouds ahead… 

I urge those in power not to use “you are lucky to have a job” as a management strategy because it will backfire in the long run.  Now is the time to cross-train, develop employees, implement organization-wide cost cutting suggestions to maintain the quality of the organization, and when things finally improve, the organization will soar instead of becoming mediocre.