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fluster · 01-01-2005, 03:31 AM

What an interesting thread this has turned out to be!

docbungle, you are right. A lot of young people seem to think that everything should be handed to them on a golden platter. They don't want to work for a living. They want to change the system so that they can play xbox all day, or develop their "social life".

It sure sounds nice, but it just isn't going to happen. I believe this is why:-

Us humans(like all animals) have three basic needs. We need to breathe, eat(and all of the bodily functions that go with that :-) and reproduce.

We have faults. In particular, we are lazy and greedy.

Over thousands of years we have developed our knowledge of the world and built and designed many things to make our life "easier". We don't have to hunt for our food anymore. We've built massive dams that are connected to pipes and taps so we can have water whenever we want it, regardless of when it last rained. etc. etc.

But in our quest to make things "easier", things are really still the same. If we want food, instead of having to hunt for it we have to work so that we can afford to pay for it.

Somewhere along the line, someone "worked" very hard to design something that made life easier(or simply more enjoyable), and other people wanted it. After a while this person got tired of working so hard when other people didn't so they started asking for payment for their work. So then their life was "easier".

And so the vicious cycle began and while we continue to have "human" characteristics it will continue.

What's all this got to do with the main topic of this thread?

The human race has gotten this far because the majority of people are willing to do a reasonable, if not a good job. They work to try and make their life easier and in turn this makes other peoples lives easier. If people don't turn up to work and don't give it the best they can that day, then everyone suffers.

Just because someone works in retail or a low paid job doesn't mean that they don't have to give it their best.

My very first job was as a trolley collector at a shopping centre that was built on a hill. At the age of 15, I weighed about 55kg. I was easily the smallest of the guys but what I lacked in weight I made up for in determination. While I was busting my gut they were sneaking off for a smoke. They'd slack off so that the work wouldn't be done so they could work back and get overtime.

Well eventually this cost the supermarket too much money and the contracted Trolley collection company was given the arse. The supermarket decided to directly hire trolley collectors. Out of the 10 guys employed by the contractor only two were hired. I was hired because my hard work had been noticed.

It wasn't long before I was given a lot of hours work each week because I was good worker. Whilst I was still at school and living at home I had more money than I really knew what to do with.

To me, still just a school kid that had no real living costs, the amount of money I earned was a lot. I loved this low paying job. I treated customers with respect and cherished the feeling of a job well done. I started to learn regular customers names and enjoyed the affection they showed towards me.

I learnt how to deal with many different personality types. How to turn an unhappy person into a happy one. I moved around to different departments in the store. Eventually though things changed. Due to the death of my mother my attitude changed and so did my work performance. I moved out of home and into the real world.

I ended up stuck in a rut for a number of years until one day the manager brought to my attention a position that existed in the head office of the company. Looking back now, he was just trying to get rid of me. But I hated where I was and saw this as an opportunity to get out and to perhaps step up in the world. I wanted to work in I.T.

I applied for the position and was successful. I was now working in the state office of the company, as a mail boy.

So now I was pushing a different trolley. I could have just acted lke any old "mail boy" except I didn't. I set out to be the best mail boy they'd ever seen. I was super friendly, super efficient. Using the people skills I had developed over the years I worked on winning the "approval" of everyone I delivered mail to. This included some of the top Managers in the company.

A trainee position became available in the IT department. I applied for the job. I also asked some of the top Managers to send a character reference to the Manager of the IT department. His Inbox was bombarded.

I worked for that company for 9 years. Now I'm a Network Manager for a different company and making far more money than I ever could have in a supermarket.

Funny thing is though, some days I miss working in a supermarket. I didn't have to manage staff, I had a lot less responsibility and because I dealt directly with the customer I could see first hand the effects that my hard work made.

As someone has already stated in this thread. There is honour in a low paid job. You will learn from it and what you learn will assist you for the rest of your life. Even if the only thing you seem to learn is what NOT to do!

Don't blindly abuse Management or the CEO. If members of Management are really that bad they will eventually fall. If you hate the company so much for whatever reason(like the fact that they rip people off with insurance) move on.

You work to be paid. Don't expect other people to make your job fun. Don't expect other people to motivate you.

Dont expect laziness and a bad attiude to make your life easier.

01-01-2005, 03:31 AM	#130 (permalink)
fluster Psycho Location: Down Under	What an interesting thread this has turned out to be! docbungle, you are right. A lot of young people seem to think that everything should be handed to them on a golden platter. They don't want to work for a living. They want to change the system so that they can play xbox all day, or develop their "social life". It sure sounds nice, but it just isn't going to happen. I believe this is why:- Us humans(like all animals) have three basic needs. We need to breathe, eat(and all of the bodily functions that go with that :-) and reproduce. We have faults. In particular, we are lazy and greedy. Over thousands of years we have developed our knowledge of the world and built and designed many things to make our life "easier". We don't have to hunt for our food anymore. We've built massive dams that are connected to pipes and taps so we can have water whenever we want it, regardless of when it last rained. etc. etc. But in our quest to make things "easier", things are really still the same. If we want food, instead of having to hunt for it we have to work so that we can afford to pay for it. Somewhere along the line, someone "worked" very hard to design something that made life easier(or simply more enjoyable), and other people wanted it. After a while this person got tired of working so hard when other people didn't so they started asking for payment for their work. So then their life was "easier". And so the vicious cycle began and while we continue to have "human" characteristics it will continue. What's all this got to do with the main topic of this thread? The human race has gotten this far because the majority of people are willing to do a reasonable, if not a good job. They work to try and make their life easier and in turn this makes other peoples lives easier. If people don't turn up to work and don't give it the best they can that day, then everyone suffers. Just because someone works in retail or a low paid job doesn't mean that they don't have to give it their best. My very first job was as a trolley collector at a shopping centre that was built on a hill. At the age of 15, I weighed about 55kg. I was easily the smallest of the guys but what I lacked in weight I made up for in determination. While I was busting my gut they were sneaking off for a smoke. They'd slack off so that the work wouldn't be done so they could work back and get overtime. Well eventually this cost the supermarket too much money and the contracted Trolley collection company was given the arse. The supermarket decided to directly hire trolley collectors. Out of the 10 guys employed by the contractor only two were hired. I was hired because my hard work had been noticed. It wasn't long before I was given a lot of hours work each week because I was good worker. Whilst I was still at school and living at home I had more money than I really knew what to do with. To me, still just a school kid that had no real living costs, the amount of money I earned was a lot. I loved this low paying job. I treated customers with respect and cherished the feeling of a job well done. I started to learn regular customers names and enjoyed the affection they showed towards me. I learnt how to deal with many different personality types. How to turn an unhappy person into a happy one. I moved around to different departments in the store. Eventually though things changed. Due to the death of my mother my attitude changed and so did my work performance. I moved out of home and into the real world. I ended up stuck in a rut for a number of years until one day the manager brought to my attention a position that existed in the head office of the company. Looking back now, he was just trying to get rid of me. But I hated where I was and saw this as an opportunity to get out and to perhaps step up in the world. I wanted to work in I.T. I applied for the position and was successful. I was now working in the state office of the company, as a mail boy. So now I was pushing a different trolley. I could have just acted lke any old "mail boy" except I didn't. I set out to be the best mail boy they'd ever seen. I was super friendly, super efficient. Using the people skills I had developed over the years I worked on winning the "approval" of everyone I delivered mail to. This included some of the top Managers in the company. A trainee position became available in the IT department. I applied for the job. I also asked some of the top Managers to send a character reference to the Manager of the IT department. His Inbox was bombarded. I worked for that company for 9 years. Now I'm a Network Manager for a different company and making far more money than I ever could have in a supermarket. Funny thing is though, some days I miss working in a supermarket. I didn't have to manage staff, I had a lot less responsibility and because I dealt directly with the customer I could see first hand the effects that my hard work made. As someone has already stated in this thread. There is honour in a low paid job. You will learn from it and what you learn will assist you for the rest of your life. Even if the only thing you seem to learn is what NOT to do! Don't blindly abuse Management or the CEO. If members of Management are really that bad they will eventually fall. If you hate the company so much for whatever reason(like the fact that they rip people off with insurance) move on. You work to be paid. Don't expect other people to make your job fun. Don't expect other people to motivate you. Dont expect laziness and a bad attiude to make your life easier.