DON'T BUY THE "RISING PRODUCTIVITY" BULLSHIT

[Skittles]

I'm watching the news and I keep hearing how worker productivity has been SOARING, how "American workers are proving they can do more with less". Kinda makes it sound like all those laid off workers were just extra baggage, right? THIS IS SUCH UTTER BULLSHIT.

I guess you could say *I* am one of those "more productive" IT workers. Since my coworkers were laid off I do their jobs too. But let me tell you how. I tend to arrive at work earlier, just to have a bit of time "to get things done" before the phones start ringing. I cannot remember the last time I actually went out to lunch- I eat at my desk, usually while replying to e-mails.

My Outlook calendar has several meetings "stacked" - meetings scheduled for the same time. I make an appearance at one long enough to give a status and then run to my desk to call in and conference to another meeting.

I stay late A LOT. I am on-call A LOT. This past week I never got more than four hours sleep a night. I'm constantly thinking of what needs to be done and never feel like I am caught up. There are plenty of ideas for improvement but of course, there's no room in the budget for that. When I have a vacation day I still log on and check and reply to e-mails lest I get too far behind.

I feel tired and depressed and burned out and I haven't received a raise in going on three years (although my CEO still makes millions). Yet I'm still made to think I am "lucky" to have a job. It's an employer's market and they can and DO treat you like CRAP.

So what do I hear on the news? More layoffs coming up for my company. The promise of much more offshoring to Brazil and India. Soaring health insurance, gas, food prices. Yup, THIS IS THE BUSH RECOVERY.

I feel sick.

[electricmonk]

1. Yeah there's another reason too

When company A goes out of business their customers switch to company B who doesn't hire new workers until they have no choice and they always wait 'til their current employees are at the breaking point or later.

[tom_paine]

2. Of course it's bullshit

And yes, I'm well aware of what the "rising productyivity" means

Further, as is characteristic of other Totalitarian Societies that have come before Imperial Amerika, one can spot the Totalitarian Propaganda a mile away if you know what to look for.

Bushevik Editors, now in place across the and owing nothing to Journalistic Tenets, working through their increasing Brfoederbund of Copy Writers and "RTeporeters" who of course will be promoted along Party Lines regardless of performance (unless you count performance as Loyalty to the Busheviks, which of course the Confederate Broederbund and the original model the Afrikaner Broederbund, also did)

And so, the first thing I hear was Uncle Karl's story.

"93,000 jobs lost, but unemployment down. 'People have given up looking for work' (another odious piece of Uncle Karl's Lying Lies). but PRODUCTIVITY IS WAY UP."

After hearing that from two "newspapers" (if such a label can truly be applied to Pravda institutions printed on paper) and two radio stations, I knew that this must have been like what it felt to see Stalin's propaganda blanket the Soviet Media (obviosuly much smaller, due to technological constraints) in exactly the same wording and even story structure.

How far America has fallen since the Last Days of the Old Republic.

How very very far.

Of course "rising productivity" is an odious Lie, as much as "Toilet Paper Production has risen 600% last year comrades!"

Anyone wityh half a brain and critical thinking skills could see that.

Unfortunately, most Imperial Subjects of Amerika are missing one or both of those features, and are thus in the process of getting the kind of nation that they richly deserve.

[Skittles]

5. you are so right

"in exactly the same wording and even story structure" - I've noticed they really aren't even trying to hide the fact that it is propaganda- well, at least not from me.

I'm kinda wondering about your conclusion - the common lament around the DU is WHEN THE F*** IS AMERICA GOING TO WAKE UP. I fear from your analyis that well, they AREN'T gonna wake up. That is f***ing SCARY. :O

[arcane1]

3. Big Brother announces Chocolate rations up by 20%

and boot production is at an all-time high

:eyes:

[cprise]

4. And what is all this American super-productivity

...actually producing in real, practical terms?

Seems mostly like we're producing trade deficits, lies and deadly weapons.

[Robin Hood]

6. Lucky you.

I went from Systems Administration to currently attending bartending college. Hopefully I can exist off the kindness of strangers.

[cosmicdot]

7. it seems the angst is available for a candidate to latch onto

the scenario you described has been going on for almost 10 years ... when I was working, we were like that in 1994

[Skittles]

9. NO

it was sliding then, but it is RADICALLY DIFFERENT NOW. In the nineties I may have been overworked but I did receive pay raises and the threat of layoff was much, much less.

[BigMcLargehuge]

8. White Collar Sweatshop

good read.

Skittles I know EXACTLY where you are coming from. I am an Instructional Designer, the last remaining from a team of seven. Now I do the work of seven people, and there is no way the company could afford to hire one more person to take some of the heat off me.

I am currently spearheading six design and course update projects for the quarter where, when we had an effective team, we collaboratively worked on ONE PROJECT for two years.

Next quarter, nine projects.

Add to this wonderful schedule the fact that in the last 18 months nearly 50% of my pay has been cut, overtime pay has vanished, and vacation days are more myth than reality.

Somethings gotta give soon.

[Rick Myers]

10. 1.7 million people HAVE STOPPED EVEN LOOKING for work!!!

Thanks, George!!!

Meanwhile, the Slime is here in Inday at a $2000 a plate fund-raiser. Some local Repuke actually said in today's paper: "People are making sacrifices to give this money to support the President!"

If you can give Dubya $2000, you DON'T KNOW THE MEANING of the word!!!


:wtf:

[sweetheart]

11. what is productivity

Productive action brightens the lives of the whole community... when resources are best allocated to bring about an advanced society... one that values education, the arts, plural and independent media, caring for the elderly and poor... indeed THAT is productivity.

I sympathize with you skittles... after decades of software development, i'm turning a new trade building stone walls. Its heavy work and exhausting, but no telephones... and no shareholders, bosses or bankers. I frikking love designing software, but unless i feel like moving to india, the bushishta's have ended that career. It takes minimum 10 million to start a software company these days, and nobody will take that risk anymore... so it was nice while it lasted.

It reminds me of a line from the film "the pianist"... this dude is hiding in an attic in bombed out warsaw in WW2, and a german officer discovers him... and asks him what he "does". The man says, "I used to be a pianist." Rather meaning that he is a broken person who's livlihood has been destroyed by bad government. Surely i could wear 3 pagers and sysadmin somewhere... but after being tech lead for too many years, it is such a downgrade, i'd fall asleep... also, all those new "IT slave" jobs are in big cities now.

So what is an alternate career? Certainly writing, but bread and butter like? Methinks construction, electrical and plumbing is the future for this software architect. Perhaps i can master those trades in a decade or so that i might achieve my previous career status... and maybe with luck, a long term trade that builds value for those around me and gets me paid.

I recently interviewed for a job teaching local community college course called "introduction to the internet." The interviewers were asking me to spin up a story for that, and i explained that i've lead teams as large as 80 to develop and deploy massive IT systems... and surely i could get a few folks on the internet... but i have no college teaching experience, so clearly i'm overqualified and underqualified... these days they'd rather have a new IT graduate that has all the proper certificates than a person that designed the products that they are teaching in the course.

I understand why there is a human right to have your reputation and public personality unattacked... as the first way to destroy a people is to break their economics, and the best way to do that is to change the investment climate that all their hard earned skills are redundant and irrelevant. Then they become cheap labour for walmart.

Its that way now, they don't want IT "designed"... they want it Kmart. Designers are free thinkers that can change the way things are... and that is too dangerous in a world run by terrorist government.... At least i don't have to wear a patch on my sleeve and be relocated to an IT workers ghetto...

I'm glad you're working and in the black... a good sign under such an evil bunch of perverted criminal fucks.

best regards,
-s

[Skittles]

16. wow, that's a story too

I never went to college; I couldn't afford it and enlisted in the military. I happened into this career through takeovers and mergers. Every job I've ever had I on-the-job-trained.

[sweetheart]

23. speaking C++

The best way to learn to speak C++ is to speak it for a few years... and the best place to do that is with a team of developers building a system. This can be in a university, but in my own career was in large businesses (on the job) so to speak.. as all software products have never been designed before and will never be designed again.

It is an art more than a science. After following that career to delivering repeatable product solutions for banks across europe, i find that the most complex aspect is in technical communications across cultures... as whilst the server may sit in Stuttgart Germany, the users are situated in every nation... and technology is only as good as its ability to give good sex to its users.

Learning is just as good no matter where you do it... that some universities are "best" is a marketing scam. The worlds best programmers are nameless.. . too boundaryless for a university... Universties produce good cannon fodder, but when you need a real artist, the independent community of software designers that travels to the next design job is the resource to rely on....

And then again, i dug a lovely trench today down to the bedrock and laid the first course of stones on what will be an excellent dry wall. ;-)

[priller]

12. Even more bullshit from NPR

The other day when the "rising productivity" story first came on, the segment ended with this little jewel: "Rising productivity means employers can PAY LARGER SALARIES to their workers since the companies are more productive." HA HA HA! No dipshit, it means employers can FIRE more people, and tell the remaining harried and overworked employess to be glad they still have a job!

[uptohere]

13. I think you blew your own point, your productivity DID soar

and nobody ever said it was about more than people knuckling down.

[Skittles]

17. ARE YOU STILL F***ING HERE

Don't they miss you over at the freak republic? You make no f***ing sense whatsoever and clearly missed the entire point of my rant.

[uptohere]

22. I do understand what you were saying

I'm also an IT person and you're doing what I used to to (trying to cover my base and that of others as well). Now I'm one of those who you are covering the absense of. I do understand you very well.

I just don't think that anyone ever thought that "increased productivity" represented some magic pill that made people better/faster/whathaveyou.

But you also know that companies do this at a cost that has yet to be paid and will likely be larger than anticipated when one day there are not enough fingers in the dike and it turns to crap... and you can't get India on the phone because its 4am there... and you just laid off the last of those worthless money grubbing ITers... and what do you mean that yesterday's work if "gone"...

But I've got two interviews next week, maybe I'll be lightening your load soon. Wish me luck or continue to slam me, whatever you prefer.

[Skittles]

24. well, I wish you luck finding employment

but I am NOT convinced you are a Democrat.

[uptohere]

30. thanks, I appreciate it

I'm NOT convinced you're a candy ! I've seen Skittles, I've eaten copious amounts of Skittles and never have they demonstrated the ability to type !

[Skittles]

31. DAMMIT

I CAN'T DISLIKE PEOPLE WHO MAKE ME LAUGH! :O

[OneTwentyoNine]

14. Even some radio stations here....

We've got an oldies station thats owned by Intercom--which is a Clear Channel want-abe. Remember when stations had 12-15 DJ's,they rotated every 2-3 hrs,had different ones on weekends?? Them days are long gone.

Hell,that station I described has five at the most,the two DJ's that are the early morning crew are on the air SEVEN FUCKING DAYS A WEEK--they never have a day off,its just incredible. Listened to them on Labor Day--yeah,what the hell...just another day of being on the air.

This all started back in the Regan regime. Get rid of people right and left,keep one experienced person and let them do the work of the five you just shitcanned,then bring in a couple of newbies and pay them little or nothing.

And yet these idiots keep voting Republican....Unbelivable.....


David

[regnaD kciN]

15. I was "productive," too...

...in other words, I was working weekends, coming back in the evenings (hour drive each way) after picking up my kid from daycare, only taking one week of vacation total in three years of employment (necessary to attend a family wedding -- and I bought a laptop out of my own pocket so that I could work in the evenings while there, then upload my work to the company on a daily basis).

Of course, that was several months ago, before the company decided they could be more productive still by letting me go, and replacing me with a younger worker who would draw a smaller salary and who, not having a family, wouldn't mind basically living in his cubicle 24/7.

So, now I'm back pounding the pavements. It does no good, though, since this is a "jobless recovery," made possible by the "high productivity"...

:-(

[Skittles]

18. you people with kids

I don't have a CLUE how you do it. I cover a lot at work for people with kids but I don't resent it; it amazes me how they do what they do.

[tlcandie]

20. Ya, we know many w/o jobs as well...

FORMER Boening employee, former telecommunications admin, etc., etc. My husband and I are getting a bit nervous and are in hunker-down mode since summer months have generally been his busiest traveling. He's traveled only twice I believe. He is the director for a software company.

Thank goodness he had the intelligence for us to buy below our income on our house and car! Our debt is low. We will see what happens. I commented the other day, have you even thought what we will do if the government stops SSI for those with handicaps (his daughter and husband).

I'm constantly checking on the elderly near us as well. Tis a sad moment in AMERIKKKA's history indeed :(

I feel for you all and wish you the best! :hi: Maybe communes of growing organics would be a good thing now? :shrugs:

[w4rma]

19. Don't forget that big corporations now have near slave labor overseas

It costs very little to run a factory full of folks who work at $0.10/hour. And they can go to india and hire an IT professional or an accountant for about $10K/year.

Their money is being "more productive", but that money (resources) is leaving the country instead of staying here.

The American pie grows smaller and smaller.

[stevedeshazer]

21. I ain't buyin'

Unemployed since December. I've used up my regular allotment of unemployment compensation and I'm nearly done with my first extension. I've been told I'll be eligible for a second extension (three months) then I'm done. It's less than half what I was making. There are no jobs that pay even that, so if I have to flip burgers or load freight at Wal Mart, I'll wait until I've retrieved every dime I'm due.

I, too, was replaced by a younger, single automaton with no kids or attachments who appears to live only to work.

God damn right, some recovery. Skittles, I worked like you for four years and this was my reward.

I am 48 years old. I've been working since age 16 and have never been unemployed until now. My wife works, but her job has been under attack as well. If she loses it, we're really screwed. Maybe my replacement will buy our house.

[Skittles]

25. it's very hard

I harbor no illusions that my job is safe because they "need" me. I have made up my mind, however, that I WILL QUIT before I train someone in India to take my job. F*** THAT.

Good luck to you and your wife. I am 46 and know that these times, are indeed the worst of our generation.

[opihimoimoi]

26. MORE PRODUCTIVE, LESS REWARDING

is what SOB should be saying cause its exactly that. Those Pubs got us by our nuts cause they decieved enough people/sheep to steal the GD election.

Unless we Dems wake enough people up to revert back to Sanity and Reason, it will get only worse, not better.

Plug in the coffee pot for gods sake.

[Skittles]

28. CORPORATE EXLOITATION IS SOARING

that's what they should be saying

[Clete]

27. I feel so bad for you young people.

Workers rights it seems are going backwards a hundred years. Can't you guys start up a union? Really you need one. I used to refuse to work overtime unless I got time and a half, so they always figured it was cheaper to hire someone for straight time instead of making me work more hours. It seems you can't get away with it nowadays with the job market as it is. You really should try to get together with some fellow workers, whom I am sure are as fed up as you, and do some brainstorming to turn things around. If employers are allowed to get away with this, it will only get worse.

[Skittles]

29. start a union- at an IT company in Texas in this economy

ha ha, ha ha ha ha. NO. If I threatened anything, there's only like a thousand people willing to take my job.