Convergence of Relevant Stuff

I believe most people take pride in what they do for a living. Yes compensation is a big factor and one must get paid in order to live, but the keys to job satisfaction are not necessarily based on pay alone. Most people look for good working conditions. They must feel safe in their working environment. The job must be satisfying and meaningful. Of course it helps if the job pays well and offers good benefits. It is good if you feel appreciated and respected for the work you do. In short people must feel motivated to do a good job and go the extra mile while at work.

Management style is important. If there is not a match here, personalities can and will clash and it does not matter how much you are getting paid if you are miserable in your job. It helps if you like what you are doing; this can help you to overcome a demanding work environment. If you are good at what you do, management style will not cause you to leave, even if there are conflicting personalities involved.

Fairness is important, this is at the top of the list. Are promotions determined fairly and the same for everyone? If you perceive that promotions are not fair, then they will be dissatisfied with the job, which will cause productivity to go down. The employee will feel more stressed and undervalued. It also helps if you work in a nurturing environment where management really does care about you, your feelings, and your opportunites for advancement in the job.

Most people have different primary needs from their jobs and if these needs are not met, they will be inclined to leave and go somewhere else. According to the the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, who conducted the 2006 General Social Survey, 27,000 people were asked questions regarding job satisfaction and general happiness. The survey found that the individual level of contentment affects the overall sense of happiness. The theory is that we are at work,more than any place else in our daily lives, so satisfaction in your work environment is key to your well being.

The survey found that firefighters, clergy and other professionals involved with helping and serving others, are more satisfied with their work and or more happier than others. This is a tall order for most companies to meet, with the high demands of share holders in the company. Trying to meet those demands can be challenging at best in today stressful work environment.

Clearly, pay is not the most important parameter for job happiness. Unfortunately unless you have one of the above special skills, you probably are not satisfied with your job. Only 47% of those surveyed said they were satisfied with their jobs.

Given this scenario, short of job hopping; which does not work. One must come to terms with what they expect from a job, find their niche and dig in. When you find a job that you really like everything else will falls into place. In this case it’s best to follow your heart and not your pocket book.

Ford Motor Company in it’s u-tube video called  The Ford Story, is taking a page out of the President Elect Barack Obama’s playbook. They are flooding the internet with ads, u-tube messages and all the social networking sites spreading their message of how they intend to do things differently. It is a proven strategy and one that Ford will need to follow through.

The high incidents of layoffs in America gives us all room to pause and reflect on the state of the economy and  where the job market is heading.  It is a  difficult and dreadful situation, and it is poised to get worse in the next few month.

Morris Brown College options are running out. According to the Atlanta Consitution the college may close next month because it is unable to meet it financial obligations.  This is primarily due to the rampant mismanagement of fund and embezzlement from the college president a few years ago.  The entire situation is disheartening considering the many   people who graduated and attended this historic college. How could this happen?

Newspapers have invested a lot of thought and a lot of resources in converting print to online it is the wave of the future and the savior for newspaper advertising decline. Those are all bright cherry words, but the reality is that online ad revenue has not increased over the course of time. It has not saved a starving, dying industry and it is not likely to save it in the future.

So we are forced to ponder the direction we are going in daily print products. Advertising continues to decline and On line, though a viable and vibrant product has it specific place and that place is not to save Newspaper.

Who are the mysterious  shareholders who seems to hold a  knife to the head of American companies and cause CEO’s  to shutter when ever they speak?  They are the mighty shareholders who  America’s Fortune 500 companies answer to. Something is uniquely wrong with this picture.  How did our economic system get so dependent of those who gamble on stock prices, hoping for a return?  Is it too much to think that companies would answer to only one segment; that being the customer?  Whatever happened to  pleasing customers who purchases the products, and support the company; theoretically  because they produce a product that is good and meets the consumers needs?

The organizational chart is warped. The shareholders are at the top of the chart and the CEO reports to the shareholders.  The shareholders have now trumped the customer.   The customer has become an after thought. You know, someone who knocks at your door and you really don’t want to talk to them, so you brush them off.  Ten minutes later  the shareholders show up and, you welcome them with open arms. They ask what’s for dinner tonight? And you break out the best china and cook the best food ( no expense can be spared for the shareholders) and while eating discuss how you can put one over on the customer and ultimately deliver more money to the shareholders.

That my friend is the is problem with America’s economic system. It is shareholder top heavy and not enough customer centered.  And it is playing havoc with the plans of the workers, who ultimately make everything  happen for the company and the shareholders.  But the worker suffers.  The shareholder even has a say with how the workers are treated. The shareholders dictate wages. The shareholders dictate layoffs.  The shareholders cause companies to take away worker health insurance, freeze pensions,  and cause  the company to down size again and again in order to please, you guessed it; the shareholder.

Here’s one simple question and the answer is obvious; who has the most power in America?   The Shareholder ! Coming soon to  a board meeting near you!  Don’t miss it.