Desdemona

Depending on the employer and the position, wouldn't you say ? Not the dime-a-dozen positions at Micky D's and grocery store checkout clerks.

Giantaxe

Maybe, just maybe, treating employees well is the right thing to do? Or perhaps you'd prefer us to return to the time where there are no labour laws at all for "dime a dozen" positions?

dunroving

I think this is a basic principle that is not recognised by many employers, at all levels. In professional positions, it costs even more to re-hire and wait for someone to bed in, but I have seen many colleagues leave university employment for greener pastures because they got tired of being dumped on. Sure you can usually get replacements but it's a lot less expensive to keep the people you already have.

Gabgoeshome

Exactly ...why is OK to treat workers in "dime a dozen' jobs with anything less than respect (and the same deserved labor laws) as the so called better jobs ?

Desdemona

I quite saw your point when you mentioned that short vacation time in the US was counter-productive. Through personal experience with my brother during his college years. He worked his butt off at various "dime a dozen" jobs only to burn out and quit. I was agreeing with you.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showp...&postcount=413

AmerLisa

Years ago, I used to live near a girl that worked at a big grocery store chain in California. She did check outs, but when they didn't do that they did stocking, etc. I remember her telling me that she had to work a Memorial Day weekend, it didn't bother her at all because she was getting triple time on the holiday. It used to be that these workers were all union, not sure what they are now. Don't think grocery stores can be compared with fast food joints, I think the pay and conditions are better, but I could be wrong.

dunroving

I'm not sure that is completely true. I'm a professional (a so called better job, supposedly) and we can get treated like sh*t too, it's just different sort of sh*t. We even work for no pay. And I used over £4,000 of my own money last year to fund job-related activities.

Desdemona

Don't know for sure, but they probably do pay better. And the harder working ones are very quickly moved into managerial positions. I'm talking fast food chains here. The trick being they are paid a fixed salary per month and often asked to work longer shifts but no overtime as managers don't get paid overtime. Buy it's decent pay for young kids with little or no experience in anything. I never heard my brother complain about the pay or the conditions but he did get burned out going to school and working unreasonably long hours at the same time. And on top of that hardly any decent vacation time.

Jaxbar

My experience in my last job was possibly more recent. I supported people with disabilities in their jobs, so got to see jobs from the inside. Supermarkets, fast food, mid scale restaurants, custodial, school boards they were all similar no paid time off as a part timer, often kept below full time so they didnt pay benefits and the most vacation as far as I can remember 1 week per year after the first year. But thats still a week more than me in my 'Executive Assistant' position

ian-mstm

"Why is a Kundunese life worth less ... than an American life"? - Pres. Josiah "Jed" Bartlet

Ian

Desdemona

We can argue till the cows come home, but these are the fact of life as far life here in the US. I've never heard an American complain, they work hard to earn a decent wage, have little vacation time but have no real grouse as long as they are working at something and have a decent lifestyle. Which is what we do have in this country. And I've never really heard of Americans leaving in droves for foreign shores because "the grass is greener".

Jerseygirl

It's interesting to hear the American's point of view on this subject but it always wants me to perhaps it's because they know little of how the rest of the civilised world lives.

Leslie

"People" should speak for themselves

Out here in the fields
We fight for our meals

And we bitch about it

A lot

Giantaxe

Lol. That certainly used to be the case. One could have a very comfortable life in the US with little education and employment in the kind of sectors we've been discussing. It's increasingly less the case as jobs get off-shored, social mobility decreases and the cost of healthcare and education continues to increase at a rate far higher than inflation. It's no surprise that an increasing proportion of welth is now in the hands of a small percentage of the population. Perhaps if Americans weren't so docile and actually stood up for their rights - ironic eh? - they wouldn't get trampled on so much in the employment field?


Where would they go? The kind of people that are screwed by what's happening in this country - typically those with less skills and qualifications - aren't exactly in demand much in the English-speaking world these days.

Jerseygirl

That's why I posted it...but it seems it was a whoooooosh moment for most.