#teachers #PoliceOfficers #nurses #NobleProfessions
Police officers, nurses, teachers and other noble professions are facing chronic staff shortages in many locations.
Some are resorting to going on strike. In fact, a strike was recently averted among railroads and its workers, which would have devastated the economy.
These jobs are the go-to professions for those seeking security – or, at least it used to be that way.
Now, they are having trouble filling these jobs.
There are many factors here. Among them: relatively low pay with relatively high responsibility; unnecessary scrutiny – some might say abuse – from politicians and others; a general labor shortage, meaning workers are able to find better security in other professions.
Often, those in these jobs are asked to do more with less. But when they are asked to do more than one person’s job because of staff shortages, that can be the last straw for many.
The onus is on the employers to make working in these situations more palatable. Remember, no one who takes these jobs expects to get rich. They do these jobs for security, and other, non-financial reasons.
A certain amount of dedication is expected of these professionals. But, they are also keenly aware of the limits to that dedication.
In the case of the rail workers, the dispute largely centered on time off – when they could take it, whether they will get paid etc. Reports said their time off for illness, medical appointments etc. had been restricted. When you have hard-to-get appointments that are necessary, restrictions can wreak havoc with one’s health and well-being.
The lessons here are numerous, and relatively easy to understand. They are much harder to put into practice when there are not enough people wanting to do the jobs.
The first lesson is to treat professionals with the respect they deserve. Certainly, some will abuse that respect, but the vast majority do not.
Secondly, they need to be paid at a level that does not insult the education, knowledge and sacrifice they bring to their jobs. They may not expect to get rich, but they should be able to have a decent life for what they give to a community.
Teachers certainly want parental, administrative and Board of Education involvement in the schools, but they don’t want to be micromanaged for reasons that have no academic merit.
Police officers want all the tools that make their life-risking job as safe as possible.
Nurses want to feel safe in their work environment, and have the necessary equipment to treat patients.
Certainly, not everyone wants to be, or should be, a police officer, nurse, teacher or any other professional.
But there are many who do, and should. But unless they are treated properly, and get the proper support, they will stay away.
As every employer in every industry and profession faces shortages of labor, the security that may have lured people into teaching, nursing and police work is increasingly available in other less risky, perhaps more lucrative jobs.
Regardless of the type of work one does, he or she needs to feel appreciated. When he or she no longer feels appreciated, he or she will look at other options.
Peter
Monthly Archives: September 2022
DIAPERS, DRAPES AND DUMPSTERS
#diapers #drapes #dumpsters #PublicInterest #WhatToHide #WhatNotToHide
Drapes, diapers and dumpsters.
All three hide what we do.
One of them can hide pleasures. The other two hide waste.
All hide things that probably should be hidden.
But, they can’t hide everything.
The question becomes: are you hiding what should be hidden? Or, are you hiding things that should not?
If you are an open person, you generally believe that most of what you do should not be hidden. Some, of course, should and must be hidden – often behind or in drapes, diapers and dumpsters.
Still, some tend to hide EVERYTHING. These folks are either private to a fault, or they are committing nefarious deeds.
What lesson should we learn here? Some of what we do should rightly be hidden. Other things, perhaps should not.
Journalists, and rightly so, fight for everything to be open – not hidden. If they come across things that rightly should be hidden, they, generally, keep them so.
But if they come across things that should not be hidden, they rightly expose them.
Generally, there is no malice in their decisions. They see themselves, and rightly so, as arbiters of the public interest.
Sometimes, that may involve undraping proverbial diapers and dumpsters.
Sometimes, public interest treasure can be found among the waste.
A lesson here could be that unless you are private to a fault, and do not often engage in public activities, you can probably keep your entire life concealed.
But, if you prefer to interact and engage in public activities, you should take great care in what you conceal.
That isn’t to say that ALL personal information or deeds should be in the public domain. In fact, one should take great care in securing personal information, to save himself or herself from scams, theft and other damage.
But if your activities can affect or influence the public interest, exposure should be allowed, if not welcomed.
In short, part of what you do – the part no one needs or wants to see — should be behind drapes, or in diapers and dumpsters.
The parts of what you do that affect others – people you may not even know personally – should be done in the open.
Those who deliberately conceal nefarious deeds should be exposed for what they are.
As the saying goes, sunlight can be the best disinfectant. Let the sun shine in on most of what you do. You’ll be a better person for it.
Peter
EMPLOYERS WANT WORKERS BACK IN THE WORKPLACE, BUT …
#employers #employees #WorkFromHome #WorkRemotely #workplaces
An office building in downtown Atlanta is going into foreclosure.
Companies want their employees who’ve been working remotely to come back to their workplaces, but many employees don’t want to.
Working from home has many advantages. Given the high gasoline prices today, cars parked or garaged at home are not using gasoline.
Since the pandemic forced a lot of child-care operations out of business, parents can work AND care for children from home. That’s money in their pockets.
Many workers have set up nice, comfortable workspaces in their home offices. They may not want to go back to the dingy, cold cubicles in their company’s workplace.
It’s clear why the companies want people back to their workplaces. They are paying for space that isn’t occupied. They want an easier way to observe what their workers are doing, how they are doing it etc. They don’t want workers distracted by home life.
The employers also want to rebuild team cohesiveness. That’s tough to do on Zoom, or some other remote communication.
But the workers have every reason to like working from home. If for no other reason, it gives THEM more control over their lives. It’s not that they, in most cases, want to be lazy, not do what they are supposed to and still get paid because no one is watching.
Let’s face it. Going to work is expensive. Commuting, day care, lunch in the cafeteria all costs money.
Any worker who is able to work remotely and save those costs will want to keep doing it.
Sure, they may miss the interaction with coworkers. They may miss happy hour at the end of the week. They may miss the retirement parties and other office gatherings, though they certainly can come into work on those days.
Bottom line is workers want options. Companies may lose good people if they take those options away entirely.
In this labor market, companies need to be very careful. Good workers are in demand, whether they work from home or not.
They will go where they will be treated best.
Of course, some workers don’t have the option to work from home. They have to make things, repair things, serve things and greet customers, which they can’t do from home.
But companies that force the issue of coming back to the workplace may discover that workers will rebel.
If they want the workers to come back, they will need to lure them back with some sort of incentive, be it money or something at the workplace that will make their cozy home offices less attractive.
It’s not necessarily an easy choice for employers or employees whether to go back to the office.
But options are always good to have, especially for workers.
Peter
CALL IN THE MAID
#MAID #MedicalAssistanceInDeath #DeathWithDignity #LongIllnesses #prognosis #diagnosis
Call in the MAID.
No, it’s not a sexist comment. MAID stands for medical assistance in death.
We all know death is inevitable. Most of us don’t know when it will come.
But if conditions are such that one’s diagnosis and prognosis offer no promising outcome, and the chances of staying alive a long time with no good quality – and lots of expense – are strong, it may be time to call in the MAID, which is also called Death with Dignity.
Some states, mostly on the West Coast, allow medical assistance in death. Naturally, certain conditions much exist. The patient must have medical clearance to have his or her death hastened.
But, it may be a better alternative than condemning a spouse, or other family members, to be longtime caregivers, with no hope for a good outcome.
It may also be a good alternative to prevent liquidation of one’s nest egg on medical care that has no curative effect.
Certainly, such a decision will not be easy. Even if the person wants the MAID, the family may want the person around for a long time, regardless of condition.
Certain religions prohibit MAID, but MAID indeed may be a merciful alternative. One does not play God when asking for MAID. He or she may just be just hastening the inevitable.
MAID is not the same as suicide. Suicide is when a person with a treatable condition – or no condition at all – just decides that life isn’t worth living. MAID simply avoids the prolonged agony of watching a person die a slow death that can be easily predicted.
Again, making such a decision is not easy for either the patient or loved ones. All medical factors have to be considered. The hope for recovery has to be completely unrealistic. Certainly, miracles can, and have happened. But, when hoping for a miracle is not a practical, or even wise, solution, MAID could be the answer.
Remember, medical care is expensive. It’s an investment, though not in a traditional sense. Is one investing in something that will produce results on the other end? If so, by all means, go for it.
Keeping one comfortable is laudable, even desirable. But months, or years, of comfort may not bring the patient all the way back. A patient should be comfortable, even as he or she is dying, but, eventually, it becomes a question of time. Time is expensive in many of these cases. Could avoiding that expense help the surviving spouse, or other family members, live better? Would the patient want that more than time alive, but not “living?”
A person may have psychological, religious or other reasons not to pursue MAID in the appropriate conditions.
But, everyone should know that MAID can be the right solution for some patients in the right circumstances.
Remember, too, that God created the scientists that make MAID possible, just as he created the scientists that can keep people alive for a long time.
It’s a matter of choice for the patient and family, with the correct and appropriate medical advice.
Sometimes, God may want a person to call in the MAID.
Peter