The View from a Drawbridge

Tag: employment

  • Mondragon Corporation: A Lesson in Cooperation

    There are alternatives to capitalism.

  • More Wishes

    When I was a child, I used to imagine that if a genie granted me three wishes, one of my wishes would be more wishes. As if I were the only person on earth to ever have thought of that. As if I’d never run out of ideas for wishes. As if I were a…

  • #FirstSevenJobs

    I overheard someone talking about a hashtag that was floating around in social media that encouraged people to talk about their first seven jobs. I was immediately intrigued. First of all, what an interesting world we live in now, where it’s a safe bet that most people have had seven jobs. In the past, you…

  • Making Too Much Cents

    People get all funny when it comes to money. It always seems to take me by surprise. Maybe because I would never pull these stunts myself. Three examples from my life: I once dated a guy who was all about splitting bills right down the middle. Fine. I’m a big girl. The problem would come…

  • Hell Hath its Benefits

    When I listen to my coworkers complain about this job, I have to inwardly giggle. They think this job is bad. They think they’re being mistreated. For 13 years I was in a horrible job situation. I worked graveyard shifts and got a one dollar raise every 6 years, and they tried to find ways…

  • The Dreams I Have

    On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and indeed every day of the year, we should reflect on our progress and lack thereof with regard to human rights. How can we improve, and what can we as individuals do to bring about these improvements? King had a dream. We should all have a dream. In fact,…

  • Don’t Sail Out Farther Than You Can Row Back

    That Danish proverb has pride of place as a magnet on my refrigerator door. My ancestors were very wise. The also liked to take risks, but their cultural longevity would lead one to believe that their risks were mostly calculated ones. I’ve been thinking about this proverb quite a bit lately because I’ve definitely sailed…

  • You are not Indispensable

    Apologies in advance. I’m feeling rather cynical today. Recently a dear friend told me he got into a very heated argument with his boss because he felt he was being underpaid and unappreciated. While I can understand how he feels, I have to say I inwardly cringed. It’s been my experience that nothing good comes…

  • How “Little Mary Sunshine” Looks from the Darkside

    A friend of mine recently posted a meme on her Facebook page that said “Slow progress is better than no progress.” My first thought was, “Great. That would be comforting if I were making slow progress.” The fact is, I have felt as though I haven’t moved forward in years. If anything, I’ve been sliding…

  • “I’ll have your job!”

    The other day I walked into a pharmacy at the tail end of what sounded like a stormy customer service incident. The customer shouted “I’ll have your job!” to the clerk as she made her exit. The clerk looked down sadly and shook her head. It’s not the first time I’ve heard someone make a…