I’ve been thinking about jobs lately (I’ve had some fantastic ones where I’ve been glad for the experience). Through it all, I’ve developed some ideas of possible room for improvement, but also some gripes. I’m glad that Biden has increased minimum wage. That was long overdue since $7.35/hour or whatever it was. It isn’t worth my cerebral energy to find out what the exact rate was. That was ridiculous. Nobody can live on that rate. I’m glad he is making some changes to the structure of work that makes the nature of work in the nation more fair, and that helps to narrow the-all-too large inequality gap.
Something else I would like to see is a way to confidentially check out a prospective employer as part of the hiring process even before submitting a resume. There should be transparency in most areas, sort of like shopping, so that you know what you’re buying. Finding a good job with a team that is also a good fit to your traits, work strengths/weaknesses and habits would be that much easier. I submit that the right lists and tools used properly with intent toward helping workers to find the right fit would save time, money, hassle and would even boost morale.
Here is just a basic rundown of possible questions/points that should be easily accessible:
Size of team
Approx. ratio of introverts to extroverts
Likelihood of possibly transferring locations (to reduce commuting time for example)
Lunch duration (hour or half hour)
Does the company value tenure, or are you merely a disposable number? “Business is business.”
Approx.ratio of desk duties to “outward” duties
Onsite perks such as gym, stress relief center, massage chairs, etc.
Top priorities of duties
These are helpful to know for folks who know themselves, such as whether introverted or extroverted, or prefers to be given duties out and about working with people instead of a desk job, etc. Maybe the tendency has been to see work as merely a paycheck; I submit humanity is beyond that now. There is more to work than merely a job. Considerations such as the team you’ll be working with, personality compatibility and the work environment are helpful. Why not align work to your values as much as possible? After all, how much of your adult life will be spent working? That is, currently, since many European nations offer 4-6 weeks of annual vacation time and ample maternity leave. Americans currently get two on average, and that’s if you’re lucky. Being the “richest nation” and all (even if only through our own eyes, redefining “rich” would also fit here), I hope to see more allotted time off also. But even if that happens, and I hope it does, that is still a lot of time spent at work.
Proper fit. A major part of the pursuit of happiness is the proper fit in so many aspects of life. Why should work be any different?
O
Related writings:
Stress Relief
http://wellnessdiaries.com/think-about-it-for-the-month-2/