Work and wages: in whose interest?

(From "Understanding Britain "by K. Hewitt)

...In the West we are hardrworking, realistic, full of humani­tarian goodwill land virtuous. Like people all over the world, some of us are, some of us are not, and the system in which we live and work shapes our natural temperaments, making some activities easier than others.

For example, most of us are not very hard-working but are horrified if we find ourselves out of a job, and riot just for finan­cial reasons.! Among us are a minority who really enjoy hard work. They are committed "workaholics." The rest of us do the work we are required to do, escape when we can, are very consci-entiouslf the work seems humanly important, and try to get as many advantages out of the system as we can. But if we are not allowed to work at all, we feel that we h^ve lost part of our dignity as human beings: We need to feel that we are contributing something to our society and our own lives.

How best to describe the situation of the English employee in a market situation? One way is to ask the question, "In whose interest?"

Most of the working population in Britain are employees who work for a wage which is paid either weekly or monthly. About a third of the working population are employed bythe State. And many of the biggest "employers" in Britain are not individuals but trusts,; or financial organisations representing hundreds or thousands of shareholders. These big businesses are managed; it is iiiithe interests of managers to make profits.

Employees have different want more wages, easier working conditions, and as many benefits (extra advan­tages) as they can get out of the system. In private businesses, thete is an inevitable conflict of interests between employers and employees.

State employees are iri a different position. They include na­tional ahddpcal government administration, almost all school teachers arid university teachers* doctors and medical staff, many research workers, the police, and all the service personnel re­quired to make the state organizations function properly.

Employers expect work to be a priority; not for moral reasons, but because they have to make profits.

Compassion and understanding, real commitment to and love of one's work — these exist in all societies. By Western standards, the British work long hours but are rather easygoing. Americans are much more dedicated to the idea of work. But in those long hours, including overtime, the British are earning money. Money is necessary...

THE JOB INTERVIEW

When a job opening is advertised in the United States, there are often a lot of people interested in applying. Many job hunters send in their resumes and apply for the same position. Sometimes a company will receive hundreds of resumes fqr a single job open­ing. The job interview, therefore, is very important; In the inter­view, an applicant must demonstrate that tie pr she is the best person for the job.

Because job interviews are so critical, somp job hunters read books or take courses to help them makp.a good first impression. These books and courses are full of advice and suggestions to help job applicants prepare for their interviews; For example, success­ful applicants dress appropriately and have a Clean and ^neat ap­pearance. They take their resume or a sheet ofrpaper:listing tHeir education and work experience with them to the interview. They also prepare a list of questions about the job or the company. They go to the interview alone and are always on time.

At the beginning of the interview, the applicant shakes hands firmly with the empfoyer. The employer usually invite& the appli­cant to sit down. Earing the interview, it is appropriate to smile often and to look directly into the eyes of the interviewer. The applicant doesn't chew gum or smoke during the interview. The applicant is prepared to answer questions about education and previous jobs. More difficult questions are possible, such as: "Why did you leave your last position?" Sometimes interviewers also try to get to know the applicant better. They ask questions«about the applfcaht- s personal backgrounds family, and hobbies. Interview­ers exjpect applicants to talk profoundly, confidently, and truth­fully afet. He interview; is the applicant stands up, shakes hands with the interviewer, and says thank you for the time the person has offered.

Job applicants who can show they a're capable, well-prepared, punctuali polite, and honest have a better chance of getting the job they're looking for.

WORK AND CAREERS

Sometimes we say that someone we know is "a square peg in a round hole." This simply means that the person we are talking about is not suited for the job he is doing. (He may be a book-keeper^who really wants to be an actor, or a mechanic who likes cooking^hfoitunately, many people in the world are "square pegs"; they are liot doing the kind of work they should be doing, for one rdiSbtrSf another. As a result they are probably not doing a very gbbd job and- certainly they are Jtappy. Most of us spend a great part of our lives at our jobs. For that reason we should try to find out what our talents are and how we can use them. We can this through aptitude tests, interviews with specialists, and consulting reference books on the subjects that interest US;

There are many careers open to each of us. Perhaps we like science; Then we might prepare ourselves to be chemists, physicists or biologists. Perhaps our interests take us into the business world ahd inta such work as accounting, personnel management or public relations. Maiiy people find their place in government serviced Many other fields— teaching, newspaper work, medi­cine,engineering — offer fascinating areas to those with talent.

PEOPLE WITHOUT WORK

For millions of Americans, work is a problem because they have none. The money, self-respect, and routine that work pro­vides do not exist for them.

The number of officially unemployed Amene^nshas varied in the last four decades. Changing economic conditions determine whether unemployment increases of Klecreases.

But these statistics hardly tell the story. Since government statis­tics are averages for the whole year, they hide much of the reality of people who are unwillingly idle. If we look at how many people were out of work for some period we see that up to 20 percent were unemployed (some for many weeks, others for a few weeks).

Many people who want to work but cannot find jobs are ex­cluded from these statistics. Among them are the following: people who work part-time but want and need full-time work; those reentering the work force (such as mothers who took time off to raise young children) but have yet to find a job; and people on welfare, prisoners, and older people whom employers will not hire. At any given time, the actual unemployment rate is at least twice the official rate.

The effects of unemployment are devastating. They hit poor and working-class families the hardest, not because these people are more likely to unemployed but because they have no fi­nancial resource to fall back on. Depression, lower self-esteem, illnesses, anci suicides all increase. In various surveys workers report they cannot sleep (20 to 50 percent of them); they smoke and drink more.

We may think that unemployment benefits soothe the pain and lessen financial hardships,They do to some degree.But very often less than a half receive them.

With temporary exceptions, unemployment has been a per­manent feature of the US economy. It exists primarily for two reasons. First, the existence of millioris of unemployed people tends to prevent most of those forking from asking for higher wages since they can he replaced easily. Second, iix their searp^ for profits, corporations move to wherever labor is cheapest.

Friendship

Friendship, like love affairs, can run out of steam. As we grow up, sometimes we grow apart. Recently, a good friend and I parted company. There was no,blow-up, no crashing dishes, no dramatic pie-in-the-face. Just a gradual loss of faith, com­pounded by geographical distance and the demands of our ca­reers. Women are often more prepared for the end of a love affair
than for the demise of a friendship.We have endless advice books on how to recover when your lover's left you, but little seems to be said about friends who break each other's hearts. Maybe it's
because we never think of our relationships with other women as being passionate or intense. But a woman can be as emotionally dependent on a friend as she is on a lover, land when the relation­ ship ends, abruptly or not, it can leave both women hurt and angry, wondering what went wrong.

I've learned from experience that good friendships are based on a delicate balance. When friends are on a par, professionally and personally, it's easier for them to root for one another. It's taken me a long time to realize that not all my "friends" wish me well. Someone who wants what you have may not be abl'e to handle your good fortune: if you find yourself apologizing for your hard-earned rise or soft-pedalling your loiig-awaited pro­motion, it's a sure sign that the friendship is off balance. Real friends are secure enough in their own lives to share each other's successes — not begrudge them.

On the other hand, that balance msy be, upset when two friends do become equals. A woman ship with an older mentor who saw her only in that subservi­ent role. When my friend became increasingly successful, and ultimately reached the level of her mentor, the older woman abruptly ended the relationship.lt was clear that she was not . needed in the same capacity and could not make the adjustment.

Friend-shedding is a rite of passage and should be seen as a -positive sign of growth. Certain life events tend to accelerate this process — say, the sudden appearance of a,good-looking boy­friend or maybe even an engagement ring.

It's not uncommon for friends to try unconsciously to sabo­tage these new relationships if they feel threatened by them. But if that happens frequently, it may be time to reevaluate

your friendship. A frank discussion can work wonders in this situation r- in my case, I found out that my friend and I were not as close as we'd once been. My life had taken a different direction-since we'd first met, and I'd expected her to follow with the same speed^and enthusiasm. We finally agreed that we are not as alike as we had once thought, nor should we be. We decided that it was time to take a leave of absence from each other.

Putting each other "on hold" indefinitely is hard, but some­times it's the wisest thing to do. It never hurts to put some dis-tailce between friends if the relationship is strained, and it may even prevent a final, irrevocable.break.

Sometimes,friendships can be renewed on their own: unlike love affairs, which demand a certain degree of commitment to stay alive, a little healthy neglect can be good for a friendship and may even lead to a reconciliation that might not otherwise have taken place. And if that happens, you'll likely find yourself in a more honest, and certainly more balanced, relationship. Laying a friendship out on the t^ble like that isn't easy, l?ut in the long run, it pays off. After all, knowing who isn't your friend is just as important as knowing who is.