Re: Disposable employees
 

Hi

Then you might want to watch the movie "I'm all Right Jack"

Re: Disposable employees
 

That's just one aspect of what Hedges is on about. However what he says is not at all new anyway. Do some reading on the Spectacularists of the late '60s. Nonetheless, it's good to see someone still banging on in the face of oblivion.

Re: Disposable employees
 

When I worked in the engineering industry in the north of England, It never ceased to amaze me as to how many shop stewards were promoted to the ranks of management and they willingly accepted. At least most of those who good as shop stewards. Maybe this was their strategy to get ahead?

Re: Disposable employees
 

Hi
Usually here in a union company you are pretty bullet proof after probation.
After that it is the usual seniority, for everything..
It doesn't matter if you are an ace employee or not,
Or even if you can do the job.
cheers
Jerry

Re: Disposable employees
 

jerry brewer

When I was a senior manager in Canada I came up against the seniority "bumping" practice used by unions. I had to fight hard too keep excellent technical and engineering staff due to individuals(much less competent) from other parts of the organisation exercises their "bumping rights". I never lost any staff, but I was a hard fight with the unions/HR.

I really prefer working under UK employment legislation/collective agreements as you really have to done something really wrong to get fired, not just because your face does not fit in your job.

I feel much more secure working in the UK, than I did for some Canadian companies.

hudd

Re: Disposable employees
 

As a manager with much experince in the recruitment process in differing organisations I can say this.

Each organisation will start to recruit by filling the essential criteria of what the applicant needs to have to match with the job description. Then the desirable criteria is look at and a balance found between the two.

But an awful lot of organisations then also include the factor of the organisational culture. Some prefer a person who fits the job and some prefer a person who fits the organisation.

Where organisation fit is the focus, a factor known as the horns or halo effect comes into play.

We all feel difference when we meet a new person, whether it is because of colour of skin, accent, gender or legal status (PR rather than citizen).

But whether a person allows difference to affect their judgement (horns) or similarity to affect their judgement (halo) is down to the individual.

In extreme cases where someone does allow this to influence their choices it can be seen as racism. But more subtle instances can go on as well that the general population may not notice or be outraged by.

So when we as immigrants are looking for a job we have the odds stacked against us as we are seen as outsiders. Now add a strong accent that most canadians would not be used to hearing, now add a work history that has unfamilur sectors.

My advice is to minimise as many of these factors as you can. Network and become part of canadian society, take an interest in the national passtimes (hockey), if your english is not great work on it, dress like them. Remove all the differances you can.

If then you are rejected when your work or history matches what they want, then you know it is a company that is holding the things you cannot change against you (gender, colour, religion) and you are well rid of them.

Just my thoughts

Re: Disposable employees
 

<cringes at the very idea>

They're lucky to have us you know, not the other way around. We should bring them fashion, not clad ourselves in clashing plaid and John Deere caps. We should seek to improve their national pastimes, sell them on football, don't indulge their interest in iced hockey.

There's a fine line between offensively pointing out the poor quality of English usage in Canada and demonstrating the proper use of the language by example. When dealing with cradles one does tend to slip into shouting the same simple phrase louder and louder in the hope that they'll eventually catch on. One must guard against this unhelpful practice, one must be gentle with them, but for the sake of one's self-respect, one should never adapt one's use of English simply so that they may understand it.

To "remove all the differances" would be to sell one's soul for the occasional use of a snow machine.

Re: Disposable employees
 

It's the same here in Ontario especially. Union stewards (with MBA's) are more company managers than company managers are. In the past 20 years, there has been an astonishing re-alignment wherein employees are literally surrendering the futures of the next generation of working people. I know of 8 stewards who either joined management ranks or got early retirement with huge severance pay after "selling out" and manipulating membership. Treachery abounds, and as Hedges points out morality is non existent without that sense of obligation and duty for the greater good. As in slavery, fear is the rule, compliance the weapon.

Re: Disposable employees
 

This is exactly what my company wants, strip everyone of their individuality and make them part of the collective. Many people forget that innovation comes from individuality and certainly not from the cloning process.

Re: Disposable employees
 

To put things in perspective, we are in a bad recession and many people and companies are experiencing a reversal of fortunes. When the economy comes back and jobs are more available, many of the insecurities that everyone is feeling will go away, hopefully.

Re: Disposable employees
 

I've decided they don't speak english and since then I've been much happier.

Re: Disposable employees
 

Totally agree, but we are not talking about innovation. We are talking about the insecurities of a population who through diversification are becoming paranoid.

Re: Disposable employees
 

You are right about that. Everyone where I work is walking on eggs. It is hardly surprising because every week someone "disappears" and nobody says a word, in case they are next. Some deserve it some do not, as mentioned before, it is usually a clash of personalities. The only saving grace is that they usually give people enough money to buy off any potential lawsuit.

Re: Disposable employees
 

is 'diversification' the same as 'diversity'?. Either way, diversification (presumably of the economy) is every economy's natural momentum. If it's "diversity" with paranoia the result, then Canada is a lie from the get go.

Re: Disposable employees
 

Hi everyone,

Oooo this is a worry! So if you get fired over there because your face doesn't fit etc.. even though your good at your job will this affect you getting another job?

How will future prospective employers look on this firing? What do you put on your resume especially if you've only been there for a few months?