JUST SAYIN’-Having read a recent Los Angeles Times article on the ramifications of downsizing, I was reminded of the many so-called “freelancers” that I know. The author, Tiffany Hsu, referred to a “gray economy” in which these workers find themselves--it certainly leaves millions of workers and potential workers in an ongoing state of limbo. They are confronted with a level of uncertainty that has physical, mental, emotional (let alone financial) repercussions affecting every aspect of their lives.
For people who have lost their jobs (many of whom had loyally labored at a company for years), a certain amount of shame is attached to losing their positions. Why was I laid off? Am I not good enough? Smart enough? Dedicated or industrious or diligent enough? There is a sense of failure and unworthiness. Their self-esteem is shattered.
Many young graduates have entered the job market thinking they do not want to repeat the pathway their parents took. Staying at one company for years or even for life seems unattractive and boring.
They thought (often mistakenly) that they could support themselves and their families by freelancing at one place or another. Sub-contracting would allow greater mobility, answering the desire to work in one region and then another. What they wanted seemed like a viable choice. But then the truth reared its ugly head.
Companies like Microsoft do indeed depend on such subcontractors. Yet, this practice enriches its bottom line through the application of lower salaries (without benefits) for these workers who are hired on a temporary basis. Thus, this set of employees lives in a state of constant insecurity and instability. How long will the job last? Will the company renew my contract or hire me full-time? Is now the time to buy a car or a home, get married, have children?
They are always under pressure, under the gun--wondering if at any time the boss is going to lay them off, and, then, What happens if I cannot find a new job?
They often question the point of getting an advanced degree if such certification does not pay off in the short run. Yet many companies present a genuine conundrum for current or potential staffers--these businesses still insist on BA’s at a minimum or even a Master’s just to get through the door.
So what happens when one has followed all the rules but still faces uncertainty? Choosing to be an independent worker is, without doubt, a risky business. Being involuntarily downsized makes it ever more difficult to be rehired in the near (or even distant) future. Ironically, the longer one freelances the harder it is to get permanent employment.
One erudite gentleman, who earned degrees in banking from two Ivy League colleges, was responsible for opening many lucrative markets for his employer. Yet, when he entered his late 50’s, he was laid off to be replaced by a recent graduate—someone who could be paid much less.
This older gentleman was too young to retire but “too old” to be hired for anything permanent somewhere else. Between his wife’s smaller income and the occasional jobs he was able to get, they just managed to earn a sufficient income until they could both retire. After having paid for a college education for their older children, they could not do the same for their youngest—hence a feeling of guilt has burdened them ever since.
I have a colleague who is a brilliant computer engineer with the ability to write code, new software—just about anything creative asked of him. Nevertheless, his employment is a balance of working six months at a time and then a period of unemployment before he can pick up another position that matches his skills.
Another young man has chosen to follow the stock market, working for brokerage firms while building his own clientele. He has his own office now but feels he cannot marry until his income is steady. So goes the vacillations in a volatile economy, so goes his net worth—and his uncertain future.
A middle-aged woman who had worked at a major concern for two decades found herself laid off. One of the most reliable, hard-working people I know, she cannot find a job that pays nearly what she had been earning. She works two jobs to make ends meet (but barely). On top of everything, she has a mortgage to pay off (selling her home now would mean selling at a loss—certainly not a step she is willing to take).
Yet another gentleman has faced the repeated experience of working for companies which have downsized or have moved out of state. He is currently working for an international company which will soon be leaving California. Right now he is also a sub-contractor without benefits. If it were not for his wife, he would not have health or other benefits at all. Because he is such a valued employee, he has been offered a permanent position in a state a thousand miles away, but he does not want to uproot his family to go elsewhere. He also owns his home. As so many others have, he thought he was following a clearly defined path to a certain, successful future. So what circumstances will he face in his future?
Unfortunately, the future continues to seem bleak for such employees, especially since an increasing number of companies choose to use subcontractors (or worse, even outsource) rather than having a permanent workforce—thereby building greater dividends for themselves and their shareholders.
{module [862]} {module [662]}
Ironically, when people find themselves working for bosses who do not seem to care about them, loyalty to these firms is negligible. They tend not to work as hard or as conscientiously nor are they volunteering to work overtime to complete their assigned projects on time.
Too many corporate decisions are myopic—greed really is not good for them or the workers upon which their profits depend. When executives utilize poor business practices, they are putting in place a scenario which, in the long run, can lead to the ruination of their company and of the neighborhood in which it is located.
Once again, we as a society must insist that our workforce be treated differently—with fairness and equanimity. Our priorities must change. As has been said by many before me, the new generation is far less likely to live a better life than their forbears. We cannot allow that to happen.
It is one thing if people are geuine in their desire to be independent free-lancers (with complete awareness of the concomitant issues which that decision involves). It is quite another to be forced into the unwieldy position of straddling a thin line.
Just sayin’ …
(Rosemary Jenkins is a Democratic activist and chair of the Northeast Valley Green Alliance. Jenkins has written Leticia in Her Wedding Dress and Other Poems, and Vignettes for Understanding Literary and Related Concepts. She also writes for CityWatch.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 12 Issue 66
Pub: Aug 15, 2014