My two-cents worth and then some. An online journal by LP Brown.
Baby Boomers think back about three or four decades. When we were younger didn’t the world seem to be a simpler, more rational place? Granted, our youthful generation produced dramatic social change, fist-pumping militants, barefoot hippies, and psychedelic drugs. Ours was a tumultuous yet evolving culture that led pundits to predict that because of the recklessness of our generation the world was going to hell in a handbasket. Look at the world today. Now look back at the days of our youth. Now look at the world today. Tell me is the basket half full or half empty?
The point is that overall today’s society seems ten times more out of sync than it was back in the day. The 21st century cultural landscape is muddier than the Woodstock Festival. Normalcy, privacy, and civility are things of the past. Call the present the go-along-to-get-along society, because there is a lot of denial and pretending going on. People are pretending to accept things that in their heart they feel are morally wrong. Political correctness rules over common sense, and PC has virtually annihilated the spontaneity of “call it as you see it.” The trend now is to pretend that you don’t see something inappropriate or unethical even if it is in plain sight. You can no longer call a spade a spade, offer a prayer in a public forum or use the world God without offending someone.
Violence and iniquity is spreading like blood gushing from a gunshot wound, and overreaction has reached new heights, from body scanning before plane trips to jostling in the office. Jokingly say to a co-worker, “Pal, if you borrow my stapler again without returning it, I’ll kill you,” and you are liable to find yourself snatched outside your cubicle, thrown flat on your belly, hands cuffed behind your back and swat team rifles pointed at your head. Don’t try to explain that you were only kidding. Don’t blink. Don’t sneeze. Don’t even inhale.
Thanks to texting and technology, even the English language is convoluted. Decades ago, when people thought of a mouse they visualized a creepy rodent scurrying across the floor. Now unless your home is infested with the critters, the tech savvy immediately think of a pointing device used to direct images on a computer screen. Proper grammar and spelling have become a hodgepodge of gobbledygook. We — used to be spelled w-e, not Wii. Now, we is still us, but Wii is a video game console. Who would have thunk it? Yes, I said thunk. Thanx u.
Boomers, look at the world today. Now look back at the days of our youth. Now look at the world today. Tell me is the basket half full or half empty?
The Following is a “Guest Contributor” Post.
Over the last decade or so it has become apparent that corporations do not want or value employees as much as they did 40 or 50 years ago, when a lot of Baby Boomers were starting their careers. Today’s workplace environment is very different.
Previously, an employee went to work for a company, stayed as long as they wanted, and retired from that company; in some cases after 30 years of service. That employee worked hard and contributed to the company’s growth and when that employee retired, he or she may have received continued health coverage of some type, a pension, and maybe even a retirement party celebrating his or her time at the company.
Now, take a look at today’s corporate environment. A show of appreciation for employees who were loyal to the company is nearly non-existent. Today’s employees who may have already vested 10 -15 years or more with the company, could learn that the pension, retiree health coverage, and other amenities that were promised when you joined the company have been outright stripped away from you or will no longer be funded. If you are just getting out of college or entering the corporate workplace, here is a sad wake-up call for you — a lot of the retirement benefits offered to your Boomer parents, may not be offered by many corporations, so you have been forewarned.
I didn’t address the retirement party, dinner or other farewell event much, because generally your coworkers, providing you had good relationships with them, will make sure you get some kind of appropriate send-off before you leave. Even if it is an after hours get-together in a nice restaurant.
That said, after a long term relationship, you would think there would be some acknowledgement from the company you helped build. There is often none.
Today’s working person needs to think more about making him or her self as marketable as possible and less about giving blind loyalty to any company. Take advantage of any training made available to you. Think beyond the walls of your current employer by monitoring your industry as a whole versus only paying attention to the company that currently employees you, because in the current climate of employer non-gratitude it is likely that — regardless of how productive you are — you may not be with the organization as long as you would like to. It is a sad reality that in today’s world, a growing number of companies in Corporate America are showing that they have no interest in long term relationships with the employees.