Employers have come full circle with our labor

On Friday night we will be at the BBQ (by the Littleton VFD) while they set up, then head over to the dance. Saturday we’ll get up early (for me that’s before 11 a.m.) and spend as much time as the weather will allow.  We’ll take in all the festival and top it off with checking out the classic cars. This is the fun part of the Labor Day weekend. 

I often write about how we lose sight of what a holiday is all about. When it comes to Labor Day I might have to rethink my views.  This is due to the fact that for some of us our work is with us 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They call it 24/7.  Who would have guessed the old slogan, “We’re always here for you,” would mean me. 

Employment continues to hold steady or grow slightly while unemployment seems to have reached its highest point.  Getting people back to work will be more difficult this time.  Because those people who are working are producing more and costing the company less money to do it.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has revealed that productivity has increase by 6.4 percent while the cost or the labor to do so has fallen by 5.8 percent.  Employers get a great deal; employees get to keep their jobs.

Look at how far we’ve come. In the 1800’s people were working long hours for low wages and benefits.  This was often done under the worst of working conditions. Employers only cared about the bottom line.   This was why it was necessary to pass so many labor laws and regulations.    Now we have laws dealing with almost all aspects of work including the minimum wage you can receive, number of hours you can work without extra compensation, the conditions of the work place and what an employer can and cannot due in many areas of work.

The times are changing. The problem now is we have the technology to make sure you are always in touch.  So now you may be at your physical place of work, and your employer may be following the law, but the advent of massive amounts of technology has made it so you are tied to your employer 24/7. Often it is a must part of the job.

If you are a small business owner it is almost a necessary part of the formula for success. 

I haven’t had a vacation in over fifteen years that I wasn’t in touch with the office by cell phone or internet on a continuing basis. 

In fact when I went to the motel in Durham last night, the first thing I did was get online to start updating our web site.  Today, in between doctor visits, I will continue to do so. I’ll constantly check my emails for anything I should deal with and my cell phone will be on – unless I’m actually in the doctor’s office. And I only work part-time.

Calling employees at home, sending them emails all hours of the day, text messaging them any time day or night or the latest is tweeting them are all part of many jobs.  We have gone back to the old days of working hard, more hours, for less money – except the working conditions are generally nicer. 

Employers love it; they are getting what amounts to free labor.  Yet under today’s pressure to get ahead or hold onto your job, it is almost a necessity.   To be honest I liked it better when I worked 40 to 80 hours a week operating a printing press or managing print shops.  At least then I knew when I left the shop, I didn’t have to worry about interruptions, my life was my own.      

Nothing seems to be the way they told all of us it would be when technology was being advanced by leap and bounds. It reminds me of all jobs that were going to be lost in 1970’s when copiers were making their way into the office. At the same time desk top publishing was starting to become popular. Companies were going to be able to create their mailers and brochures and make copies from their office and they would stop using printing companies. 

This was going to mean less work for small printing companies.  It was also going to mean that less and less printing paper would have to be produced so greening of America was supposed to be starting years ago – although that was not the term they used then.  It never worked out that way. 

Printing companies followed the trend to copiers and everyone felt that everyone else had to have a copy of anything created. So more shops were opened and more work was created and the industry flourished.  I can never write these words without recalling the biggest joke I was paid to produce. 

Back when environmental impact studies first started to be necessary to open up almost any business, I worked for a company that had a government printing contract. My job was to print, on a high-speed press, 1,000 copies of every environmental impact study they sent to us.  Generally speaking I never read any of that stuff, but one such report caught my attention.  It was something about the impact on the earthworm (I called them night crawlers) on a particular project. 

It sounded reasonable enough, except there were several hundred pages on the earthworm and we printed 1,000 copies of each.  Two questions came to my mind, how can they possibly say so much about the earthworm and who would ever take the time to read all those copies.

I am always reminded of all the advantages the computer was supposed to create.  It was supposed to lead the way to shorter work weeks and more leisure time.  All it really has done was tied us closer to our employers and made it a never ending work week.  It has made it possible to bring the workplace into your house for 24/7 access. 

According to a 2007 survey by the Census Bureau 5.7 million people work at home.  That only represents those that officially work at home it doesn’t figure in the millions more who literally take their work home with them.  Sadly most employees just figure it is part of the job.  Something they must do to get ahead or keep their job.

This Labor Day we need to take the time for ourselves and not do anything except enjoy the week-end and celebrate.  Of course for me and my mate it will be a working weekend, this one we will enjoy.  We’ll chat with the cookers with the BBQ on Friday night, then return Saturday and make the rounds at the festival.  Visiting people we only see once a year, watching kids have a go time and getting some great festival food. When the energy runs low we’ll take the time to visit the Stray Cats show. Then we will head home, and take a day off.

Hopefully we’ll see you all there, because you’re not supposed to be working.