My friend in LA writes, "My job is making me crazy. My boss said he could fire me for forgetting to do stuff like leave the subject line blank in an email and if I can’t do it right, he has to do his own e-mail and then what does he need me for. Now, that’s a Friday statement that ruins your weekend. I have done it a couple of times - shit. I have worked there since 2003 and something like a blank subject line is grounds for termination?"
Sadly, the story she tells about her job situation sounds all too familiar in this economy. Employers are using the uncertainty as an excuse to abuse employees, even loyal, long-term employees. They're threatening them with the loss of their job over little nothings and asking them to relinquish pay and benefits at a time when they should be helping their fellow woman/man/person. My own pay went DOWN 5% this year because I had to absorb a hefty increase in the cost of health insurance. I received no bonus or cost of living pay increase. I cried the blues to my agent but she just shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "Not my problem – if you don't like it, look elsewhere." Then, if we were in the old-timey movies, the villain would have curled his moustache, snarled and laughed an evil villain laugh – NYAH! HA! HA! HA! HA! That's what your boss is doing.
At our age we should be thinking about retirement and taking it easy. Instead we're having to make life plans for survival. My friend went on to say, "I don’t think I can work like this any more. I have to figure out what I’m doing with my life – there are changes I should start thinking about making."
It's sad that we have to think like this at a time in our lives when we should be living the high life and playing with our grown-up toys, like cameras and guitars.
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