Today I learned that my friend is being forced to leave his job. He has worked with dedication for this company for over 5 years. I know he has learned to; operate, maintain and repair a variety of complex printing and copying machines. He can keep masses of people supplied with the necessities of office existence; staples, papers, folders, in-boxes, pens, calendars, pencils and their matching amenities. He is keeper of a massive library of engineering drawings of a very complex production and research facility.

In the past 5 years my friend has had to cope with the transition of ownership of his employers site two times. To top that off he has had to work for a different company to keep his same job. This has occurred during almost every year he has worked at this site. He has educated and trained himself to complete every new task that he discovered to ensure everything got done. My friend has come to work with the companies’ best interests in mind. He has maintained his days with camaraderie amongst his fellow workers, ensuring strong personal bonds in the work place.

Today, Wednesday, my friend learned that Friday would be his last day. They did however offer a part-time, no benefits with a pay cut. My friend did not accept the offer. Therefore Friday will be his last day, so that he can “finish up” anything before he is no longer employed there.

I know someone else who works at the same site but for a different employer. Her employer had gone through tough times when the site was being bought and sold. The C.E.O. of her company made sure that those who couldn’t be immediately placed somewhere else were given compensation. To take it a step further this C.E.O. organized a health care plan for the then out of work people. The tough times are now over and these folks are back to work at one place or another. My friend who works for this compassionate company is not concerned that the events that my other friend has endured will be in her future.

This lead me to ponder the agreement the worker has with the employer. The employer expects the worker to come to work daily and to perform efficiently. The worker expects the employer to have agreeable tasks to perform and a safe place to perform them for and agreed price. The employer also expects the worker to want to better the company and themselves. The worker also expects that the company will reciprocate this dedication. I thought about my two friends and considered their different employers, the pay the benefits. I found an amazing discovery. Your birthday is a PAID holiday. Sure another day off work in the year is something but, your birthday as a PAID holiday.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 21st, 2006 at 10:10 pm and is filed under indiscriminate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.