The majority of us live in a small world – or a small life in a vast world, so to speak. What I mean by this is that we all have our own slice of life that we’re living. The day to day mundane for one may be completely different to another and that’s what makes us all individual.
It’s hard to see it that way though, when so many things about life make you feel like just another number on a list. Getting a doctor’s appointment, waiting in a queue at a super market, going to the job centre for a meeting, sitting on hold trying to talk to the bank. Nearly everything in modern life feels seemingly designed to be robotic and automated – dull and repetitive.
This, what I would call, illness has spread into nearly every aspect of life and that includes the world of work. In fact, the employment sector is the most affected by this illness.
I advocate the Real Living Wage because that’s what individuals need to live – not survive, but live. The current minimum wage for many isn’t good enough and I sympathise with those living from payday to payday with only the security that their bills will be covered. Prices are constantly increasing, along with the general cost of living and let’s not even begin to touch on the housing and renting market.
Money should not be the be-all end-all. Work should be a rewarding experience that helps an individual grow and learn.
Within the tightening job market, it is important to remember that good business is generated through good staffing. Seeing individuals in a different light as opposed to a human resource is a vital step that must be taken to appreciate the person and not just the job they’re doing. Productivity thrives on positivity and positivity is not a finite resource to be hoarded and shared in dribs and drabs.
Sometimes we have to take a step back and remember that people are not machines.