Most of us are recovering from a well-deserved day off, Labor Day. It is one of those holidays that we anticipate and thoroughly enjoy, but why do we even have it? Yeah, I know it has something to do with labor, as in work. But I never really gave it much thought.
What we do know is that when we go back to the job, many of our feet are dragging. Surely, there must be a reason for such dread. Actually, there are five good reasons, and we can prove it!
5. Twenty Percent Of Workers Actively Hate Their Jobs
Woah! That means that one in five of the people you meet around the coffee machine are seething with a bubbling rage – as if work wasn’t hard enough without worrying about someone going postal. According to a recent Gallup poll, not only do 20 percent of your coworkers hate their jobs, a full 50 percent more do not like what they are doing. That means two out of three employees would rather be anywhere but at work.
4. Nearly 40% Of Employers Force Workers To Work Labor Day
Someone has to be manning the shop, so businesses can stay open and profit. We don’t mind, because that means we can make a fast trip to the grocery store when we discover an empty catsup container for the Labor Day hot dogs. Of course, someone will come down sick or get hurt doing one of their don’t-try-this-at-home tricks. Then we can hop over to the pharmacy for band aids – and pick up another $50 in miscellaneous eye-catchers. A full 39 percent of businesses are open on Labor Day.
Then there is the lure of checking our emails during the holiday weekends. A recent poll indicates that more than 40 percent of us can’t resist returning work emails, and a full 50 percent of the workers under 35 are caught in that electronic web.
3. Welfare More Profitable Than Minimum Wage In 35 States
That can’t be true. Oh yes, it is! That’s depressing. You’re screwed if you work full-time; and you’re screwed if you don’t, because you are broke. According to Catherine Lawrence, assistant professor at University of Albany School of Social Welfare:
“Neither welfare nor low-wage employment alone do a very good job supporting the health and well-being of families with children.”
But it gets worse. Welfare pays more than a minimum wage job (including benefits) in 35 states. It even pays more than the average (median) annual salaries for people in eight states! Can you believe it? We are doing worse than we even imagined. No wonder we resent work.
2. Eighty Percent Of Us Face Economic Hardship
Why? Mainly, because there are just fewer jobs for the working class. The global economy has left us playing musical economic chairs – someone is always left out, especially when the very rich get reserved seating.
Although it is easy to believe we are the only ones hanging on by our fingernails, a full four out of five of your coworkers face bankruptcy, pressing debt, layoffs, medically related costs, or other economic insecurities.
1. If You Live With Mom And Dad, You Are Not Alone
When I got out of college, I couldn’t wait to get my own place. Of course, I had to get a job first, but jobs were more plentiful then. Over 25 percent of people aged 20 to 34 return home, because they just cannot make it in this job-poor economy. But young adults are not the only ones to pack it in and go back to live with Mom and Dad. We see nearly 33 percent of all adults under 35 returning to the once empty nest.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were enough jobs for all of us? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we didn’t face killer deadlines and had time to enjoy the satisfaction of a job done well? Maybe we should take a second look at supporting unions again.
h/t cracked.com
