"First it's the free lunches,
next it's office supplies, and before you know it,
they'll be canceling the birthday gift cards too,"
I overheard one employee complaining to several of
his co-workers while they sipped their lattes in a
local coffee shop this week. My immediate thought:
Yep, he's wearing a Scarlet E - be careful buddy.
Yes, according to Matthew Boyle's
article in BusinessWeek, companies of all sizes are
cutting perks right now. Why? Because they are less
drastic than what's next. Goldman Sachs cut dinner
allowances by five bucks, while Alcatel-Lucent
grounded three Gulfstream jets. The article says
even Google has cut hours at it's free cafeteria and
has canceled afternoon tea. (I'm not kidding!)
The article goes on to say
that companies actually have to assess what perks to
cut based on how it will be perceived by the
employees. Based on what I heard above, I guess they
are right.
For all those workers who feel
the way the coffee shop guy does, I caution you: in
the current economy, those who display an arrogant
sense of entitlement, a Scarlet E, regardless of
age, experience or expertise, are playing with fire.
Let's be real clear about the process that's going
on in companies all across America:
First they cut the perks. Then
they cut the salaries and bonuses. Then come the
layoffs.
Now is not the time to
outwardly complain about the elimination of perks,
demand excessive job requirements, or push an
employer for a significant pay increase. Yet, even
in spite of the prediction that unemployment will
reach 8% by next year, a lot of workers will
continue to wear a Scarlet E without realizing it -
and put their job at risk in the process. Like this
gal...
A survivor of a recent layoff,
she was complaining about the fact that she was just
given double the territory she had before the cuts
and would have to start traveling overnight 2-3
days/month. She has two small children and, up until
now, had the understanding with her boss that she
wouldn't travel until the kids were all school-age.
These were her exact words, "He knows my situation.
I don't even need this job. I just like the paycheck.
They are going to have to do something about this."
For the second time this week, I thought: Yep, a
Scarlet E - I'd be careful.
I bet you are thinking, "Ya, I
know some folks like that - but I don't act
entitled." Don't be so sure. Many employees wear the
Scarlet E without knowing it. Let me explain...
Over the years, we've actually
been conditioned to feel certain entitlements as
Americans, especially in the workplace. With the
erosion of the employee-employer relationship that
used to guarantee a lifetime of employment in
exchange for a worker's loyalty, we started to
demand more in return for our services as a way to
cope with the instability. But now, those demands
that seemed so reasonable at the time, may need to
be re-evaluated. Unfortunately, that's not so easy
when we've become accustomed to them. And that's
where the ugly 'E' word comes into play. Here are
four reasons to explain how some workers have
developed a sense of entitlement that can hurt them
in a down economy:
1) Pop-behaviorism -
After reading the book, Punished by Rewards, by
Alfie Kohn, I came to understand how our culture's
addiction to praise, incentives, bonuses, and other
bribes, has made us so externally motivated that we
now struggle to understand or appreciate how to do
things for the pure personal satisfaction they bring
us. Any time we are asked to do something,
especially at work, our first thought is, "What's in
it for me?" It's no wonder we don't want to lift a
finger on-the-job until we know what we'll get in
return.
2) Cinderella Syndrome
- The belief that some day, somehow, our problems
will be magically solved by our own version of
Prince Charming. Whether it's dreams of winning the
lottery, becoming famous, hitting it huge in the
stock market, finding that special someone who is
rich and can't wait to fix all our problems, and
even landing the perfect job with a big salary, many
Americans have come to secretly expect the fairytale
ending to eventually come true. (i.e. Thanks to
reality TV, one study shows as much as 80% of young
people between the ages of 16-24 expect to be
famous.)
3) Sensorial Assault -
With all of our technological advancements, we are
now bombarded from the moment we wake up until the
moment we go to sleep with images that remind us
that what we have isn't good enough. We are told
non-stop to want something better, faster,
cheaper...24/7. It isn't a question of willpower,
because unless you are willing to move to the middle
of nowhere or a third-world country, you can not
escape the visual and verbal assault of consumerism
and the dissatisfaction programming it delivers.
4) Social Disconnection
- Dr. Hallowell's book "Crazy Busy" discusses the
impact technological and industrial progress is
having on our ability to feel accomplished and
satisfied. He describes Cultural ADD and how we are
all overwhelmed by the use of technology and the
pressure to make ourselves more efficient. But more
importantly, he outlines how we are becoming
lonelier, hiding behind technology and losing our
ability to communicate effectively face-to-face. We
are slowly becoming less tolerant of other's
communication styles and feeling more isolated in
our ability to connect personally with people.
The result is a working
culture hooked on instant gratification, lacking in
coping skills, and growing more frustrated by the
day because they never seem to have enough.
Now, the horrible economic
situation we are experiencing is giving many of us
the reality check needed to change our perspective.
A fundamental shift in how individuals view
themselves, their values, and their priorities is
happening as we speak. But for those who want to
make absolutely sure they aren't wearing a Scarlet
E, here are two ideas worth considering:
1. Think before you complain.
EVERYONE is feeling the effects of the economy. That
means, everyone is trying to cope with change.
Expressing your frustration publicly is risky. When
it comes time for more cuts, people will be eager to
mention the names of those who have been sporting
bad attitudes.
2. Practice (because it takes
a lot of it) living in the moment and being
satisfied with what you have. Some people call it
'counting your blessings' I call it 'satisfaction
programming.' Whatever the term, the goal is to
develop ways to remind ourselves throughout the day
to appreciate and enjoy all that we have in order to
push out a negative focus on what we don't.
Finally, it shouldn't go
unnoticed that none of my suggestions above focus on
what employers should be doing to help us. Please
know, I am also disgusted by the excess and
corruption that continues to be revealed within
corporate America. And yes, a large part of the
problem we are in today stems from their behavior,
but recognizing that fact doesn't change the state
we are in. At the end of the day, unless you are
your own boss, you must consider your actions in the
workplace. We live in a free country. We choose to
work for others who have the power to keep us
employed. So, no matter how disappointed you are
right now, it's still not the time to wear a Scarlet
E.
What do you think?
