The Better Employee: Unemployed vs Employed

Who do you think makes a batter employee? Somebody who is unemployed, or someone who is currently employed?

Personally, I think that the answer to this question should be an easy one to answer. While the employed person, who is seeking a better job, already thinks his or her job is secure, I think they don't put as much effort in becoming a better, more productive employee because they don't feel they have anything to lose. They have become too comfortable in their job and won't put forth the effort to keep that job because they know they are relied upon by that company.

The unemployed person will do whatever it takes to keep that job. Working harder, asking for additional shifts, working through their lunch break, coming in on their day off ... all in an effort to keep that job because not only are they desperate for employment but they need the extra money that comes from those extra hours.

Employers seem to think that the unemployed will leave their company just as soon as another better paying job comes along, but, history has shown that an employer who treats their employees with respect and treats their employees decent, that employee will stick with that company out of a sense of loyalty.

Many of the unemployed are victims of the last on, first fired insanity. I know people who have had the same job for the last 30 years! Doubt that they even have a resume. Unfortunately, I haven't been that lucky as earlier in my career I lost work due to mergers. Once this happens, the pattern continues - you just get yourself back on track and wammo - like Candyland except I haven't gotten even halfway. Since I'm wired to work hard, even though I say I'll never bust my hump again for any disloyal corporation, I don't know how to do otherwise. I really do believe people do the best they can - there are a few that spend their day trying to get out of work, but my experience has been that people are willing to pull their line. Corporations are breeding the worst sort of disloyalty though by this greedy wage pressure - pitting employees against each other. I wish people would recognize who the real enemy is and who the enemy always has been. The old bs about America being the land of opportunity - allowing immigrants from all over the place - was done to reduce wages - always was. This country was founded on genocide and slavery, and the owners would like to keep it that way. They've never done anything for the working class willingly.

Ever heard of the Ludlow Massacre? I wonder how much the Rockefeller family has paid us for leasing and royalties - or was oversight always as problematic as it is now? Is there anyone out there that still believes that Chavez is evil for nationalizing his country's oil revenue and not allowing it to continue to bring huge dividends to the wealthiest in Venezuela while the majority of its citizens live in unimaginable poverty? Hint: the U.S. has demonized every leader who has attempted to do this, and in most instances, a CIA coup resulted in a dictatorial military regime replete with U.S.A.I.D. - backdoor subsidy for the military contractors. U.S.A.I.D. - agency for international development??? who the fudge do we think we are? Blow the place up and then bring in U.S. transnationals to rebuild, militarize and feed so the investor class doesn't have to work - unless checking your stock portfolio or opening the mail to view your dividends counts. It's time we take back what has been ruthlessly stolen.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rockefellers/sfeature/sf_8.html

Good points here...and I have personally fallen victim to the "unemployed" taint more than once in the last decade. But the whole premise of the question troubles me. I don't think that comparing ourselves to people who have jobs in a "them" vs. "us" way helps us. In fact, I think it's exactly what the real "them" want us to do. How can we expect the employed to take our side in the fight if they see us as too eager to take their jobs?

Having said that, I've also secretly rolled my eyes while listening to friends and family whine about how lousy their jobs are. So I understand how easy it is to start seeing it this way.

In a way, that's exactly what employers have done. They've deliberately turned the issue into "employed" vs "unemployed" and it's a sorry state of where our country has led us to. It just shows just how limited U.S. Businesses and Corporations have become.

I don't think they realize that the whole issue of passing unemployment extensions and having businesses pay for them would simply fade away into the sunset if only they would ramp up their business by hiring more unemployed Americans. Not only would we see unemployment extensions end but we would find that businesses would no longer be responsible for helping fund these extensions.

Americans want to work, not collect unemployment benefits. While businesses continue not to hire unemployed Americans, the more unemployed Americans will continue to clamor for additional unemployment extensions. Unemployment extensions have transformed into a welfare program because businesses, corporations, Democrats and Republicans have failed to do anything to create jobs and hire unemployed Americans.

I think we're all seeing different facets of the same problem. But until we start imposing tariffs on all the cheap stuff coming into our ports, (and that includes innovative products such as green technology) we are going to see more scratching and clawing for the few good jobs left. And employers can demand more and more for less and less.

Ain't I just big basket o' sunshine today?

Sure are.

The problem that I'm seeing is that if employers don't start hiring more of America's unemployed, they're going to start seeing a dramatic reversal of our economy. The Federal Reserve is going to eventually stop pumping money into the bond market and when that happens, it's going to have a detrimental effect on the economy. Add to that, America's 9% unemployment rate will begin to increase as more and more businesses start laying off more workers.

It's attrition by design.

We have more than 15 million Americans out of work. Before the Federal Reserve stops pumping money into the economy, those unemployed need to have jobs if our economy is going to survive. Otherwise, we're going to see millions upon millions more unemployed joining our ranks and that outcome is going to be even worse than it was a year ago when we were losing 1 million jobs every week.

The U.S. Economy simply cannot survive if unemployed Americans are not working. When 99ers were collecting unemployment, at least they were helping keep the economy afloat. Just wait until the Federal Reserve halts its bond buying program, Wall Street is going to tank.

I usually only come here to read and keep up to date on the links you all post. Which has been very helpful. And I thank you for that. But this post caught my attention and I decided to register and speak up on this matter.

I believe my husband told me several times something concerning this very issue.

He works in a place where you are running one or two very very large machines which make a product that comes out in huge rolls and are boxed at very high rates of speed. And it is a must that you watch your machine/s at all times. So that the plastics does not come out too thin or thick, and you are having to physically lift 50-100lb boxes onto crates most of the night.

Ok, so here is the thing... They just hired off the streets a young man in his mid to late 20's. And my husband trained him. Well this fella stands around texting all the time. He is on that phone totally ignoring his responsibilities. My husbands machines are directly next to this other mans. And my husband will peek over there from time to time and have to constantly whistle or yell (over super loud machines and ear plugs) to get this guys attention. So to tell him his machines are about to stop working. Then this guy will RUN fast and try to fix the issues he is now encountering due to ignoring his job duties.

A real good example of someone who doesn't value a paycheck. Then of course there have been others come and go throughout the last 12 months that my husband has been with this company. And many of them start out on the night shift (common for beginners) and they literally fall asleep. Some even being fired for such. Including a plant supervisor. Or they take more than their fair share of smoke breaks coming back to not ever relieving the non-smokers for as much as a bathroom break. And if they do, they don't watch the extra machines causing havoc on the person who went on break. Because they either are texting, talking on the phone, talking to new buddies within the plant, or falling asleep. Hubby told me it's always one thing or another and he cannot for the life of him understand why these guys would jeopardize their jobs like that. But they do.

And when there are so many out there who would value this job much higher than those who are in there getting that paycheck every week. They seem to think that they cannot be replaced. Such a shame.

Leanna, thanks for posting. I think that illustrates the point that once someone becomes too comfortable in their job at a place of employment, that they often feel that they don't have to work for it.

I worked for Target for 7 years, before they terminated my employment, and I was always asking for extra hours or if I could come in on my day off and pick up extra hours. I was always being called in and I worked hard every day because I could never deal with standing around, doing nothing, while still getting paid for it.

I always had a strong work ethic and that always showed in my work. I just find it hard to imagine that somebody who actually finds a job would just throw it away like that, especially considering how hard it is to find a job in these hard times.

There have always been people who land one job and then start looking the next best thing because their friend tells them they landed a job and make more money than them so a sense of entitlement ensues and they search.

So this the unemployed will just start looking for other work when it comes along is a cop out. There is something they're not saying because it could be make them libel.

Your welcome kemcha. Yes, I agree. My husband has spent the last 7 years making a perfect work record with his jobs. Being hit with certificates of appreciation for NEVER being late, and having perfect attendance. Not even as much as a sick day leave. Not any time off. Yep not even for vacation. He has yearly certificates for no accidents or injuries. Yearly certifications for being top contributor such as for training others, working extra hard, blah blah. Didn't amount to much more than that. But he has it to show. He earned them too. I've seen him go into work very sick, should have been in the hospital sick (only once then) and still he went in and gave them all the energy he could muster up. Even when our near grown daughter had a wreck, he was at work. He met me at the hospital and when they gave a thumbs up for her , he went back to work and finished his shift. That's dedication. I know not everyone is like that. But when it come time to shutting the plant down, none of that mattered the least.

Hey, I also used to work for Target. I knew when I got hired that it was seasonal. But I thought I would work my tail end off and they would see how dedicated I was. Within a week or so I was running the 10 items or less isle. And at a ridiculously fast speed. And had 100% accuracy. During the holidays they said that was near impossible. Anyway, in the meantime they had me training off and on too. So, I was considered good enough to train someone else. I worked everyday, stayed over extra hours, sometimes worked through my breaks. I also came in when it was 4 ft of snow and ice on the ground (when no one else would) also came in when someone called in sick. I was also there the day they said "have a good one" and "We'll see you next season". Yeah right. Never again. I know I shouldn't have had high hopes of landing a permanent job with them because again it was on Holiday work. I think It was Sept - The end of Jan. I loved it there too. I met tons of people. And I knew that store like the back of my hand. I was mainly a Cashier , but I was doing Cashier Supervisor work, when someone called in sick. Funny bringing up Target, I remember the code call when the money truck pulled up.... Over the intercom -- "The Pizza Has Been Delivered" haha

Well, I had worked there for seven years when another employee made a personal slight against me so I stopped talking to him. Well, he went complaining to one of the executive managers and remarked how I was telling everybody how to hack Target's computer network.

Well, what he had actually heard me say was to a customer on how he could bring in his portable Nintendo Hand Held game and download free bonus items that Target had set up for video game customers to download free. Except, he decided to leave that part out ...

All because I wouldn't talk to him. Well, as I told him from day one, when he first started, was that Target does not pay me to be friends with other employees or pay me to socialize. Target pays me to do my job and that's it. Let's just say that not only had the executive been transferred to another store but that the employee who originally filed the complaint no longer works for Target.

It's funny, because I had that store memorized like the back of my hand as well, and I worked every single department in that store.

To be very honest, I can't say that being unemployed has made me a better worker at all. I too was a good worker until I was laid off in 2009, basically because I had cancer. They brought in my replacement right in front of my face while I was working up until my surgery and radiation. He's still there, and as my former co-workers tell me, coasting on what I worked so hard on, and hasn't come up with a new idea since.

Did that make me feel that I should be more dedicated and hard-working in my next job? What do you think? I no longer have any illusions that there any rewards for going the extra mile. I will do exactly what I'm expected to do and nothing more. What's the point? You get laid off again any way.

I don't think it's as simple as being unemployed vs employed. Either somebody is a good worker or they aren't. Being unemployed, and it doesn't matter how long you've been unemployed, doesn't make you a bad worker. It's all in your mindset.

Being unemployed doesn't transform you from being a good worker to being a bad worker. That is a false misunderstanding that employers seemed to have developed. They have come to identify unemployed workers as being lazy or "bad employees" and that is far from the case.

In retrospect, an employer is going to get even more production from hiring an unemployed worker than he will from a current employee because they will do anything and everything to prove their worth to that employer. At least, for the first 90 days.