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January 25, 2023

You can already tell by our title the direction this piece is going.  

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But it’s much more than just a bunch of selfish crybabies.  Today’s story is about a fundamental shift in how the country thinks and acts, whereby we have lost another critical piece of what made us unique. 

Let’s step back for a moment, and I’ll share a story highlighting the problem as I see it.

I live in a small rural county run by a five-person Board of Commissioners. Virtually every decision of consequence is made in a consensus-focused manner.  During one of the recent department reports, commissioners were advised that some employees had been put on standby status in case a quick response was required to a recent cold snap. The department head acknowledged that employees would be paid if they were called to work. 

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But a dispute followed over whether employees should be paid for “standing by” in case of need, whether ultimately activated or not.

I argued that the essential nature of public service employment is that they might be inconvenienced from time to time, but such emergency call-ups were or should be part of their job description. 

A decision was not reached, but it made me think. 

I’ve employed individuals continuously for nearly fifty years. During that time, I’ve seen a change from gratitude for employment to an attitude that turns the relationship on its head.   

Today, employers bend over backward to accommodate the needs and seemingly arbitrary desires of hires to a degree that would have been unthinkable in years past.

A recent Fox and Friends program featured employees quitting their job without notice and even going so far as to place their joyful resignations on TikTok!