Duties to one's employer

These aren't "professional duties", they are articles of indenture (i.e., slavery).

Indentured servitude was voluntary, with term of service mutually contracted, and not for life. Historic, bonded slavery was involuntary servitude, with no term of service but at the discretion of property owner or death. The term, indenture, derived simply from the form of written contract used to mark the passage, the redemption, of obligation . . . something not dissimilar to bearer bond coupons.

In many cultures people "voluntarily" sold themselves into slavery as a means of paying off debt. And most forms of slavery (US, not withstanding) provided a means of buying one's self out. Many indentured servants ended up in "debt slavery" to their masters, and were never freed. And many indentured servants were brought over under force, and basically sold on the dock.

Regardless, indentured servitude is hardly a model for employer/employee relations.

After much consideration, I've made it a point of honor to faithfully obey a self-imposed rule of employment which in its simplest form states that no matter how tempted or how justified it may otherwise seem (even if supported or encouraged by an impartial entity) I absolutely will not under any conditions obtain a rusty machete and use it to exert a particularly painful and prolonged disembowelment of my supervisor(s) during any company meeting where anyone other than myself and the supervisor(s) are present.

At the risk of sounding immodest, I'm somewhat proud of myself that I've honored that pledge for almost a decade now.

Gee can I work for you!

I would cheerfully work for an organization that would reciprocate.

An Employer that shows loyalty to anything besides the price of their stock is a rare bird.

I don't mean talk the talk [which is nice]

I mean walk the walk.

Sure, come on aboard ... we work 6 day a week, totaling between 60 and 90 hours.

Don't misunderstand me, friend. I'm just an employee, too, but I do have people for whom I am responsible. Aside from my own idea of good leadership, I can do little outside the realm of what is permitted.

Generally, I would say my employer is ... er ... uh ... "thrifty" . I personally enjoy a generous relationship with my employer, however that generosity is not necessarily wide-spread ... it makes my job as a leader more difficult, because often all I have to motivate folks is my words ... I guess I should have been in SALES (or POLITICS [OMG ... NOOOO!!!]). BUT, I do believe the things I already said ... the idea of being "employed" used to mean "working for a living", but in too many cases it has become an attitude of "my right to this", or "my right to that".

[when I first started my current 'adventure' I was offered a contract ... I refused it ... not because it was bad, but because, for me, I don't want an employer who doesn't want me to be 'forced' to keep me; and I don't want to be forced to work somewhere if I don't want to be there. I work hard to keep my value and my worth to my employer, and consequently I have expectations of them ... it's a 'two-way street.']

In my own attitude, the only thing my employer (now or before) has ever truly owed me is my 'next pay check'. They don't owe me a job. They don't owe me respect (although, in leadership, respecting others can actually get a lot more done than money). When I say I am thankful for my job, I truly mean it. It "ain't all peaches", but it's more than some have.

Sure, come on aboard ... we work 6 day a week, totaling between 60 and 90 hours.

That brings up a good point

Employee's should know their limits, be upfront & truthful about their capabilities & should be able expect the same from an employer.

Employee's should be able to expect clear defined expectations. This helps avoid the slippery slope.

Employee's should act as if any money & resources are limited, precious & only to be used in the ways that will provide the maximum benefit for the employer. I personally am very frugal & act as if any of my employer's money is just as limited & precious as my own.

Employee's should be able to express their job related opinion(s) in the appropriate time & place & expect the same from management. Confrontation, Humiliation & embarrassment are not good motivational techniques. Mutually earned respect & open communication are the order of the day.

Employees agree to give their time, physical, mental & emotional energy for some form of compensation [money, insurance, education...]

The employee/employer relationship is always a two way street.

Ah, if only the world were so balanced ... I agree completely with all the 'should' statements, but have rarely found it.

So many people are 'broken' and their own personality 'flaws' get in the way of good leadership and good response to leadership.

[the old country and western song of years ago, saying "take this job and shove it" is more common than I prefer, but we have to deal with it. I hated that song.]

I've often wondered ... the companies who employ doctors or nurses for medical care ... would we be better served by an on-site staff of psychologists or social workers?

It the end, there are no perfect places to work, no perfect relationships, no perfect leaders or employees ... certainly no perfect ME. All I can do is do my best within my own capabilities, within the limits of what I am allowed to do at my place of employment, and try to lead and motivate others (both above me and below me). My job isn't to 'change' them, but if I can 'help' them to see things 'differently', to increase their ability and contentment in their jobs, then I have won, at least a little. And, maybe, if I do all this correctly, I will also learn and grow in the process.

yEAH

I was outlining the ideal

Employee's should be able to expect clear defined expectations.

Take care of this 1 & loyaltie will follow

People want to be lead by the hand.

when it's straight forward to do the right thing [follow the system] mutual success will follow.

It's fine for employers to expect alot, if they provide the tools employee's need to proform at a high level.

One of the hardest thing in life to understand--and the last thing, too often, that most people come to understand is: when it comes to others, never expect anything not promised. This is the biggest human error, and greatest cause of grief, for most people. The key to pursuit of happiness: strike that "expecation" word from your internal social dialog...you really don't need it and will be better off without it.

UG

With the notable exception that I will always have expectations of MYSELF that I refuse to relinquish.

WoW:

Notable indeed, and, yes (in that promise to self and expectation of self have no distinction), an excellent complementary point—although not a counterpoint—and although also not withstanding the same dire consequence (or worse) of incautious application.

Your post ventures into a darker, more insidious aspect of the destructive potential of expecting...one that calls for a corollary to the aforesaid "never expect" rule; what might be called a happy medium rule:

• Before committing to personal objectives and goals, a 50:50 (more or less) chance of successful outcomes of cumulative promises to made to Self will go far in assuring a healthy minimum of sleepless rest, and in helping to keep the candle of mental & physical wellbeing burning...at one end only.

All or nothing self expectation . . . a thing to be shunned!

UG

Oh, true, yes. Still, I think I shall always have higher expectations of myself on most levels than anyone else would have of me. I have always been my own worst critic. I try to be my own best cheerleader, too.

To your list I would add:

Maintain your self-respect. Don't let your employer lead you down a path that you know to be either illegal, immoral, unsafe, or otherwise just plain stupid. That's part of your "duty" to them.

Don't work at a job you don't enjoy - you aren't doing you or them a favor by being there.

I completely agree with your first point ... sometimes we follow along and 'bend the rules just a little', but that is often a 'slippery slope', and situation can get worse.

To your second point, I agree, with the only exception being that no one enjoys their job all the time. I would encourage some to maybe 'stick it out' a little while. Even if things are really tough, sometimes a 'bad' job is better than no job. Currently, my daughter works in a restaurant ... has two degrees, but can't find a good job. Most days, she doesn't like it, and she really wants to quit. But, that is a case where she should wait until she can find something better. She still needs to 'pay the rent', and so forth.

Thanks for your good comments ...

Yes, you certainly have to weight the merits of your situation. At least your daughter has a plan, even if that plan means staying where she is for now.

Henry Ford had some innovative ideas - pay your workers above the average and they will work harder, longer, and be more loyal, for example. But he had some "notions", too - he had similar restrictions on employees in the housing he provided for them (no smoking, drinking, gambling, etc.). Employers are not an alma mater (other mother), and sometimes require behavior that is less than ethical, for example, which will sour the deal immediately for people who HAVE ethics.

My personal mantra is: No fishing off the company pier.

Just surfing the web...Nehemiah was my great grandfather!

Elizabeth Highley Maresko

Well Glad to make your acquaintance!

Great Grandfather he was!

I love it when these small world networks facilitate a connection.

Is your family still somehow in the steel / steel wire/Manufacturing business?

My regards.

milo

My late father (Robert Walter Highley) worked for the company A P Green, which manufactured firebrick for the steel mills. We were transferred from Pittsburgh in 1963 to the Chicago area. He also has a patent for a coke oven door. He passed away in November of 2006. He often talked about his grandfather, who played around the abbey at Tintern. I have a letter that Nehemiah wrote concerning his work in wire.

Both my husband and my brother worked in the mills in the summer for money for college..great pay HARD work.

Thanks for replying...so fun to find this site. Actually, I responded, not knowing that my husband is a member. He is a test engineer for Eaton Aerospace.

Betsy Highley Maresko

This is the link to my father's patent.

http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=1991008273

Betsy Highley Maresko