I Don't Belong To You

I remember when BlackBerrys were the new toy that everybody wanted. Clients would come in, showing them off to me, impressed by the technology and the ability to always communicate and carry all the information you need in a small handheld device. Many people thought it would free them up, but instead it became a shackle. Another tool used by some of those who employ us to steal away our lives. To steal away our free time. Many accept this is a necessary evil. I do not. I refuse to allow myself to be owned by those who employ me.

Let me say before I go any further that this is not directed at my current employers. This is just something I’ve seen in the general workforce and in society. That being said, it is a problem prevalent in many hair salons. The idea that we are property of our jobs. That they give us time off rather than us giving them work time.

Many years ago, I was leaving work for the day when my boss told me he wanted me to perform a task. I told him, “No it’s time for me to go home”. He responded, “What do you have to do at home?”  Me, being the ”bold” person that I am, I replied, “I don’t have to explain that to you.”  I left feeling good that I’d spoken up, but bothered that the question was even asked. As I have shared this memory with others over the years, my sense of offense toward it has grown, and my awareness of the prevalence of this thought process among people in positions of power has grown as well.

This type of experience is not only found in hair salons, obviously. Another occupation that has a severe problem with this concept is nursing. I’ve lived with my housemate now for more than a year, and in that time, I’ve seen this same life-destroying mentality of “your time belongs to us” in management. Working back-to-back 12 or 14-hour shifts and being asked to continue working after the time you are being paid for or on days off. It is abusive, and for a while, it seemed American society was making strides in looking out for workers. That seemed to change after the housing bubble burst in the early 2000s.

Businesses had less money, so they laid off employees, yet still needed their work, so they asked the few who were not laid off to do the work of those who had been. Many agreed, grateful to have a job, believing that things would eventually return to normal. Business did boom back, but the excess work did not abate, and people, though they complained, accepted it.

The past year has seen things get worse. Because of the pandemic, many businesses again had to lay people off and then ask those left over to pick up the slack. This, in conjunction with working from home, has robbed people of even more of their lives, and again, they seem to accept it.

We need to reestablish the proper order, and we need to do it forcefully and soon.

All this being said, I have also been involved in management over the last 7 years, and through this, my understanding has grown.  Many small businesses do not make much money, so to stay open, they have to rely on people who will do their work for a reasonable wage. This combo of doing work and what is a reasonable salary has become warped. Many people only want to do the bare minimum and want to make good money. This combo is killing many small businesses, as are small businesses expecting more work and time for, in many cases, less money. So how do we bring back balance? Balance calls for change on both sides.

Business owners and managers need to return to the view that workers are human beings with dignity, born into freedom. These are God-given gifts, not man- or government-given. If we choose to only work 3, 4, or maybe 1 day a week, for whatever reason, that is our choice. If we agree to work certain hours, we are not being disloyal or lazy by expecting those hours to be respected. And if after work we go home to a family or to lying on the couch, that is our right as free human beings. If business owners choose to build their business on the expectation that employees will work long hours, they have to be upfront with the employees they hire that this is the expectation, but they need to be prepared to pay for those long hours.

Workers need to return to the view that work is strenuous, stressful, and sometimes unpleasant. The expectation from employers that, when employees are on the clock, they work the entire time and remain focused on the tasks they are called to perform is not unreasonable. Whatever schedule the employee agrees to during the interview process should be respectfully maintained. The business rules should be followed, and coworkers, owners/managers, and clients should be treated respectfully. While at work, the employer has the right to restrict cell phone and internet access, as well as anything else that interferes with work.

If employees and employers can return to these basic understandings, the balance can be restored in the workplace, and both employers and employees can work with less stress, resentment, and agitation.

St Joseph the Worker, please pray for this balance.

Human-Written, AI Spell-Checked 5/1/21 AD

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