Satire: Trust Your Employer

If you want to be broke.

Employer says work harderPhoto byCartoon by Lambert-King

Most employers will try to sell new employees on the idea that they are working for a company brimming with integrity. Then said company will comport themselves like a five-dollar hooker.At least that has been my experience.

Many years ago I worked for a company that made gloves. It was piecework. Think Norma Rae without Norma Rae. The pay was minimal. While the pay was minimal, as time went on work became sporadic. Low pay on an intermittent basis is not a way to encourage employee longevity. While we weren’t the sharpest group of employees, we began to get suspicious when we were getting laid off one week every month. Management then took steps to reassure workers that their jobs weren’t in jeopardy of being lost.

Management called us into the warehouse on a Friday. We were then assured that our jobs were safe and rumors about the demise of the company were unfounded. The following Tuesday we were sent out the door as the factory was shutting down.

I’m not really sure why management bothered to have a meeting to mislead us four days before cutting us loose. Possibly force of habit, or to stay in practice.

trust exercisePhoto byCartoon by Lambert-King

Fast forward about 20 years. I’m working for AAA Oklahoma as a sales rep. Things are going well. I’ve just hit a certain income level for the first time in my life. Then came, “The Memo”.

The memo came from our VP of Sales. In it, he stated, that I had exceeded his expectations. HOWEVER, my contract was being adjusted. The adjustment basically took $700 a month off the top of my commissions. I told my office manager if I exceeded AAA’s expectations again. I might have to file for bankruptcy. Apparently, AAA had adopted the Sisyphus compensation plan.

I’ve worked for other companies that tout their integrity and try to sell employees that they are somehow more virtuous than other companies. They then will encourage you to lie to prospective clients. If you a company wants you to lie to clients, or you see them lie to clients, that company will lie to you.

IntegrityPhoto byCartoon by Lambert-King

It’s amazing that companies wonder why employees feel no sense of loyalty to their employer.

gullibilityPhoto byCartoon by Lambert-Allen

A lot has been made of jobs going unfilled after the pandemic. The blame is often placed on a lazy labor pool.That may be a factor, but no doubt, failure to pay a living wage is also a factor.