I know this story has been passed around over the internet for years, but it still says a lot about who we are. Every one of us see ourselves in this story, in one form or another. Next time, which one will you be?
'Some people!' snorted a man standing some distance behind me in the long line at the grocery store.
'You would think the manager would pay attention and open another line,' said a woman.
I looked to the front of the line to see what the holdup was and saw a well dressed, young woman trying to get the machine to accept her credit card. No matter how many times she swiped it, the machine kept rejecting it.
'It's one of them welfare card things.'
'Damn people need to get a job like everyone else,' said the man standing behind me.
The young woman turned around to see who had made the comment.
'It was me,' he said, pointing to himself.
The young lady's face began to change expression. Almost in tears, she dropped the welfare card onto the counter and quickly walked out of the store. Everyone in the checkout line watched as she began running to her car. Never looking back, she got in and drove away.
Several minutes later a young man walked into the store. He went up to the cashier and asked if she had seen the woman.
After describing her, the cashier told him that she had run out of the store, got into her car, and drove away.
'Why would she do that?' asked the man.
Everyone in the line looked around at the fellow who had made the statement.
'I made a stupid comment about the welfare card she was using. Something I shouldn't have said. I'm sorry,' said the man.
'Well, that's bad, real bad. In fact, her brother was killed in Afghanistan two years ago.
He had three young children and she has taken on that responsibility. She's twenty years old, single, and now has three children to support,' he said in a very firm voice.
'I'm really truly sorry. I didn't know,' he replied, shaking both his hands about.
The young man asked, 'Are these paid for?' pointing to the shopping cart full of groceries.
'It wouldn't take her card,' the clerk told him.
'Do you know where she lives?' asked the man who had made the comment.
'Yes, she goes to our church.'
'Excuse me,' he said as he made his way to the front of the line.
He pulled out his wallet, took out his credit card and told the cashier, 'Please use my card, PLEASE!' The clerk took his credit card and began to ring up the young woman's groceries.
'Hold on,' said the gentleman.
He walked back to his shopping cart and began loading his own groceries onto the belt to be included. 'Come on people.'
We got three kids to help raise!' he told everyone in line.
Everyone began to place their groceries onto the fast moving belt.
A few customers began bagging the food and placing it into separate carts.
'Go back and get two big turkeys,' yelled a heavyset woman, as she looked at the man. 'NO,' yelled the man.
Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. The entire store became quiet for several seconds.
'Four turkeys,' yelled the man. Everyone began laughing and went back to work.
When all was said and done, the man paid a total of $1,646.57 for the groceries.
He then walked over to the side, pulled out his check book, and began writing a check using the bags of dog food piled near the front of the store for a writing surface. He turned around and handed the check to the young man.
'She will need a freezer and a few other things as well,' he told the man.
The young man looked at the check and said, 'This is really very generous of you.'
'No,' said the man. 'Her brother was the generous one.'
Everyone in the store had been observing the odd commotion and began to clap.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Are You 'Funemployed'?
Twice last week I read articles about ‘funemployment’. At first I wasn’t sure what to make of it, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I became (I even sent an email to one of the ‘journalists’, but I haven’t heard back yet).
Apparently ‘funemployment’ is a term used for someone who is unemployed and instead of spending their days looking for work they are having the time of their lives: golfing, surfing, camping, traveling, reading and going to the beach. How can they afford this, you ask? Well, maybe they have saved some money and are using that, or maybe they are tapping into their 401(k), or maybe they accepted a lucrative buyout, or maybe their parents have a little (OK, lot) of extra spending cash, or as one of the articles suggest: they are using their unemployment checks.
Excuse me, but did you just say ‘unemployment checks?’
So, let me get this straight. You, as a reporter/journalist, just interviewed several people who have recently been laid off and they told you this? They volunteered that they are having the time of their lives, travelling, playing golf, going to movies, etc., instead of looking for work? And that they are ‘entitled’ to the unemployment checks? Hmph. I need to think about this again.
I think I understand the arguments for why you say these people are doing it:
“I’ve been working a long time and all my past employers have paid into the unemployment fund, and since I’m not unemployed by my own doing, I’m going to sit back and collect the money. Technically, I earned it and now I’m going to take it. The economy isn’t picking up yet anyway, so why not enjoy the time off while I have it? Things will turn around soon enough and I’ll have to go back to a cube-farm and spend all my days indoors again. Then, if I want to take some time off, I’ll have to use my vacation time and that’s not fair. I’ve worked so hard for the past few years and now I want a break. I want to enjoy all the things I didn’t do when I was working. It’s only $450 (in CA and WA, apparently) per week anyway, it’s only paying the bills, I’m not getting rich off it.”
Let’s break this down:
‘I’ve been working a long time and all my past employers have paid into the unemployment fund’ – That is true, all employers pay a percentage of taxes on their employees wages. Only a small percentage, however, and the balance comes from your state’s budget. I could be wrong, but I think California has been in the news lately for being close to bankrupt as a state. I wouldn’t consider it a good thing for someone to keep drawing unemployment checks off the state in that case. Where is your responsibility to your community and the well being of the great state you live in?
‘Since I’m not unemployed by my own doing, I’m going to sit back and collect the money’ – Partly true. Many times arrogance is coupled with entitlement. Meaning, that yes, you are unemployed, and while you don’t think it is because of anything you did, you could be wrong. It’s a lot easier to tell people, even yourself, that you are now unemployed due to the ‘economy’ or bad business decisions by your former employer. It’s a lot harder to be introspective and admit perhaps this had something to do with you. Set the ego aside and take a real good look at the situation. You can’t make any personal improvements if you don’t admit that you need them. Not to mention, if you are collecting unemployment, but not looking for a job, isn’t that constituted as fraud?
‘The economy isn’t picking up yet anyway, so why not enjoy the time off while I have it?’ – The economy may not be picking up yet, but people are still getting hired. Some estimates are that even during an economic downturn there is a 20 – 25% turnover in employees. If you don’t take advantage of even that small percentage, you may be missing out in the long run. If your dream job is something that comes around only in a blue moon, then you had better be on the lookout every day to see of one has come available. If you choose to spend your time golfing, you may miss this great opportunity. It’ll be a lot harder to explain an extended absence from the workforce when you do run out of savings and unemployment. Recruiters and HR staff know what the markets look like and can probably spot someone who has been taking advantage of their ‘paid leave’.
‘Things will turn around soon enough and I’ll have to go back to a cube-farm and spend all my days indoors again.’ - Who says you have to go back to the same thing you came from? If you are going to take advantage of anything, let it be the opportunity to explore other industries and careers. Instead of going back into a cube-farm, take a look at what you love to do and explore that. Love the outdoors? Work in Parks & Rec. Love working with/helping people? Work in retail or at your library. Think outside the box to find something that you will love and pursue that. If you have to call it a cube-farm, it’s not the place for you. Chances are you won’t excel in that environment anyway. Your spirit will be better in an environment where it can grow and thrive.
‘I’ve worked so hard for the past few years and now I want a break. I want to enjoy all the things I didn’t do when I was working.’ – Don’t we all. Seriously, use your time wisely and you can still spend a week hiking or camping or golfing. Plan accordingly and you may even be able to take two weeks off together and travel to Europe. Who knows? If your employer knows you are a committed, happy and enthusiastic employee they may make allowances. If you grump about you all the time and about all the things you are missing out on because you are working, your boss may not be so inclined to work with you. One more point, if you maintain a good work/life balance, you will not feel the need to give things up when you are working. There are many ways to create this balance, and what constitutes a balance can vary from one person to another. The important thing is to figure out what is important to you and to plan for it. And, yup, that is what vacation time is for.
‘It’s only $450 (in CA and WA, apparently) per week anyway, it’s only paying the bills, I’m not getting rich off it.’ – Only $450? That’s a lot of money. For some people, that is all they would have made in the week, not on unemployment. Unemployment is only meant to help you get by until a job. It should, in no way, take the place of a real paycheck. It should also, in no way, be enough money to pay all your bills and then some.
Where would the incentive be to get a job if you could live off unemployment? I’ll take the job over the ‘funemployment’ any day. While I do enjoy a vacation or simply time on my own, I still value a job and my contributions to my community. To quote Aaron Tippin: “If you'll check out my paycheck; Well, you'll see that there ain't that much on it; But ev'ry single penny I'm paid, I got it honest.”
Apparently ‘funemployment’ is a term used for someone who is unemployed and instead of spending their days looking for work they are having the time of their lives: golfing, surfing, camping, traveling, reading and going to the beach. How can they afford this, you ask? Well, maybe they have saved some money and are using that, or maybe they are tapping into their 401(k), or maybe they accepted a lucrative buyout, or maybe their parents have a little (OK, lot) of extra spending cash, or as one of the articles suggest: they are using their unemployment checks.
Excuse me, but did you just say ‘unemployment checks?’
So, let me get this straight. You, as a reporter/journalist, just interviewed several people who have recently been laid off and they told you this? They volunteered that they are having the time of their lives, travelling, playing golf, going to movies, etc., instead of looking for work? And that they are ‘entitled’ to the unemployment checks? Hmph. I need to think about this again.
I think I understand the arguments for why you say these people are doing it:
“I’ve been working a long time and all my past employers have paid into the unemployment fund, and since I’m not unemployed by my own doing, I’m going to sit back and collect the money. Technically, I earned it and now I’m going to take it. The economy isn’t picking up yet anyway, so why not enjoy the time off while I have it? Things will turn around soon enough and I’ll have to go back to a cube-farm and spend all my days indoors again. Then, if I want to take some time off, I’ll have to use my vacation time and that’s not fair. I’ve worked so hard for the past few years and now I want a break. I want to enjoy all the things I didn’t do when I was working. It’s only $450 (in CA and WA, apparently) per week anyway, it’s only paying the bills, I’m not getting rich off it.”
Let’s break this down:
‘I’ve been working a long time and all my past employers have paid into the unemployment fund’ – That is true, all employers pay a percentage of taxes on their employees wages. Only a small percentage, however, and the balance comes from your state’s budget. I could be wrong, but I think California has been in the news lately for being close to bankrupt as a state. I wouldn’t consider it a good thing for someone to keep drawing unemployment checks off the state in that case. Where is your responsibility to your community and the well being of the great state you live in?
‘Since I’m not unemployed by my own doing, I’m going to sit back and collect the money’ – Partly true. Many times arrogance is coupled with entitlement. Meaning, that yes, you are unemployed, and while you don’t think it is because of anything you did, you could be wrong. It’s a lot easier to tell people, even yourself, that you are now unemployed due to the ‘economy’ or bad business decisions by your former employer. It’s a lot harder to be introspective and admit perhaps this had something to do with you. Set the ego aside and take a real good look at the situation. You can’t make any personal improvements if you don’t admit that you need them. Not to mention, if you are collecting unemployment, but not looking for a job, isn’t that constituted as fraud?
‘The economy isn’t picking up yet anyway, so why not enjoy the time off while I have it?’ – The economy may not be picking up yet, but people are still getting hired. Some estimates are that even during an economic downturn there is a 20 – 25% turnover in employees. If you don’t take advantage of even that small percentage, you may be missing out in the long run. If your dream job is something that comes around only in a blue moon, then you had better be on the lookout every day to see of one has come available. If you choose to spend your time golfing, you may miss this great opportunity. It’ll be a lot harder to explain an extended absence from the workforce when you do run out of savings and unemployment. Recruiters and HR staff know what the markets look like and can probably spot someone who has been taking advantage of their ‘paid leave’.
‘Things will turn around soon enough and I’ll have to go back to a cube-farm and spend all my days indoors again.’ - Who says you have to go back to the same thing you came from? If you are going to take advantage of anything, let it be the opportunity to explore other industries and careers. Instead of going back into a cube-farm, take a look at what you love to do and explore that. Love the outdoors? Work in Parks & Rec. Love working with/helping people? Work in retail or at your library. Think outside the box to find something that you will love and pursue that. If you have to call it a cube-farm, it’s not the place for you. Chances are you won’t excel in that environment anyway. Your spirit will be better in an environment where it can grow and thrive.
‘I’ve worked so hard for the past few years and now I want a break. I want to enjoy all the things I didn’t do when I was working.’ – Don’t we all. Seriously, use your time wisely and you can still spend a week hiking or camping or golfing. Plan accordingly and you may even be able to take two weeks off together and travel to Europe. Who knows? If your employer knows you are a committed, happy and enthusiastic employee they may make allowances. If you grump about you all the time and about all the things you are missing out on because you are working, your boss may not be so inclined to work with you. One more point, if you maintain a good work/life balance, you will not feel the need to give things up when you are working. There are many ways to create this balance, and what constitutes a balance can vary from one person to another. The important thing is to figure out what is important to you and to plan for it. And, yup, that is what vacation time is for.
‘It’s only $450 (in CA and WA, apparently) per week anyway, it’s only paying the bills, I’m not getting rich off it.’ – Only $450? That’s a lot of money. For some people, that is all they would have made in the week, not on unemployment. Unemployment is only meant to help you get by until a job. It should, in no way, take the place of a real paycheck. It should also, in no way, be enough money to pay all your bills and then some.
Where would the incentive be to get a job if you could live off unemployment? I’ll take the job over the ‘funemployment’ any day. While I do enjoy a vacation or simply time on my own, I still value a job and my contributions to my community. To quote Aaron Tippin: “If you'll check out my paycheck; Well, you'll see that there ain't that much on it; But ev'ry single penny I'm paid, I got it honest.”
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Celebrate June as National Rose Month with Blumz
Recently, I contacted one of the owners of locally owned and operated Blumz, in Downtown Detroit and “Fashionable” Ferndale, requesting permission to write about his company on our blog. I’d love to highlight a local business for National Rose Month, so I did (very) little research and called a local florist we had just learned about. I asked him if there was anything special he would like me to mention about his company and his response was really very modest. He simply asked for us to mention that they are a full service floral and gift shop.
No problem . . .until I looked further into their website and discovered that they had achieved quite a bit in their seven years in business. So, I’ll mention their full range of services (floral arrangements, gift baskets, candle arrangements, funeral, wedding, corporate affairs) but I also want to highlight just a few of their other nods:
2006 – Received “Spirit of Detroit” award from Detroit City Council
2006 – Received “Beautification Award” from City of Ferndale
2007 – Selected as “Retailer of the Year 2007” by Michigan Florist Association, per the Detroit News
2007 - National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) Award for “Best Table Design”
2007 - NACE Award for Best Table Design
For those of us who are ‘florally challenged’, they even offer classes. Grab a couple of your girlfriends/coworkers/sisters/cousins and ask for a private class. Who wouldn’t love to learn from the best!
On a personal note, I love that Blumz gives back to the community. Not only do they support GLBT activities and organizations, but they also support their local community. We were turned on to Blumz through a networking event held in their Ferndale location. I’m glad we went, and I’m glad we learned about Blumz. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own lives that we forget about things going on to those around us. Give the gift of a personalized gift basket, or an arrangement of someone’s favorite flowers, or something simple, just because. Check out Blumz.com and be prepared to be impressed.
And for those of you, like me, always wondered the meanings of the rose colors:
Red - True Love
Blue - Mystery, attaining the impossible
White - Eternal love, silence or innocence, virtue, purity
Black – Death, hatred, farewell, rejuvenation or rebirth
Yellow – Friendship of dying love, jealousy or infidelity
Pink – Grace
Dark Pink – Gratitude
Light Pink – Desire, passion, joy of life, youth, energy
Coral/Orange – Desire, passion
Lavender – Love at first sight
Red/White together – Unity
Red/Yellow together – Joy, happiness, and excitement
Check out www.blumz.com or contact them directly at their Ferndale location 248-398-5130 or Downtown Detroit at 313-964-5777.
No problem . . .until I looked further into their website and discovered that they had achieved quite a bit in their seven years in business. So, I’ll mention their full range of services (floral arrangements, gift baskets, candle arrangements, funeral, wedding, corporate affairs) but I also want to highlight just a few of their other nods:
2006 – Received “Spirit of Detroit” award from Detroit City Council
2006 – Received “Beautification Award” from City of Ferndale
2007 – Selected as “Retailer of the Year 2007” by Michigan Florist Association, per the Detroit News
2007 - National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) Award for “Best Table Design”
2007 - NACE Award for Best Table Design
For those of us who are ‘florally challenged’, they even offer classes. Grab a couple of your girlfriends/coworkers/sisters/cousins and ask for a private class. Who wouldn’t love to learn from the best!
On a personal note, I love that Blumz gives back to the community. Not only do they support GLBT activities and organizations, but they also support their local community. We were turned on to Blumz through a networking event held in their Ferndale location. I’m glad we went, and I’m glad we learned about Blumz. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own lives that we forget about things going on to those around us. Give the gift of a personalized gift basket, or an arrangement of someone’s favorite flowers, or something simple, just because. Check out Blumz.com and be prepared to be impressed.
And for those of you, like me, always wondered the meanings of the rose colors:
Red - True Love
Blue - Mystery, attaining the impossible
White - Eternal love, silence or innocence, virtue, purity
Black – Death, hatred, farewell, rejuvenation or rebirth
Yellow – Friendship of dying love, jealousy or infidelity
Pink – Grace
Dark Pink – Gratitude
Light Pink – Desire, passion, joy of life, youth, energy
Coral/Orange – Desire, passion
Lavender – Love at first sight
Red/White together – Unity
Red/Yellow together – Joy, happiness, and excitement
Check out www.blumz.com or contact them directly at their Ferndale location 248-398-5130 or Downtown Detroit at 313-964-5777.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Job Loss and Grieving
In 1969 Elisabeth Kubler-Ross published “On Death and Dying”, bringing, for the first time, a mainstream awareness to the human side of terminal illnesses and the like. When she identified her ‘five stages’ of grief’, I’ll bet she had no idea that 40 years later they would become ‘mainstream’ when talking about job loss.
We’ve seen news reports, read articles, listened to others ask if it’s really that bad and wiped a few tears, unfortunately with increasing frequency, over the past few years. Every time a news reporter puts a microphone in someone’s face and asks ‘what is next for you?’ I just cringe! How can they possibly know? None of this information has processed yet! If we were aware of, and educated others, on how Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief can be applied to just about any personal loss, we may have a better understanding and preparedness for such occurrences.
I first learned about Kubler-Ross back in college and this theory has stayed with me. On a personal level, they have given me a better understanding of how I was feeling at the time of loss and whether or not it was ‘normal’. Throughout the years, I’ve leaned on this theory to get through some tough times. Here are the five stages:
1. Denial – Usually the initial response. Temporary in nature. ‘Not me, you must be wrong’.
2. Anger – Strong feelings, albeit misplaced, of rage and envy. Often directed towards anyone/anything who symbolizes what was lost. Spouses/partners who are still working usually take the brunt of the anger.
3. Bargaining – Strong negotiation to somehow postpone or delay said activity. Most ‘negotiations’ are made with a ‘higher power’ in exchange for ‘one more chance’. Often puts into perspective the true value of someone/something compared to other, more materialistic, things.
4. Depression – The beginnings and comprehensions of what just happened and what lies ahead. In situations of job loss, we may distance ourselves from former co-workers and friends as the pain of ‘what we used to have’ is too great. Trying to cheer someone up during this stage robs them of the chance to come to terms with the situation on their own.
5. Acceptance – Fifth and final stage of grief. Understanding and peace with the situation. When relating to death, this is the stage where people have accepted they are dying. They often want to be alone and may seem emotionally detached. In terms of job loss, this stage often brings peace and acceptance, quickly followed by the desire to figure out ‘what’s next’. This is when words of wisdom and help in the job search will be welcome. Not before. You’ll be met with resistance and anger if you offer it too soon.
Things have come a long way since 1969. Some things, fortunately, haven’t changed so much. These stages are just as valid today as they were when Kubler-Ross first put her theory into words. Today, we need to acknowledge that there is a grieving process for any sort of loss. If we don’t , we are doing a great disservice to ourselves or others we know going through it. Take a minute and think about these stages and where one may be. Only then can we truly help ourselves and our neighbors.
We’ve seen news reports, read articles, listened to others ask if it’s really that bad and wiped a few tears, unfortunately with increasing frequency, over the past few years. Every time a news reporter puts a microphone in someone’s face and asks ‘what is next for you?’ I just cringe! How can they possibly know? None of this information has processed yet! If we were aware of, and educated others, on how Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief can be applied to just about any personal loss, we may have a better understanding and preparedness for such occurrences.
I first learned about Kubler-Ross back in college and this theory has stayed with me. On a personal level, they have given me a better understanding of how I was feeling at the time of loss and whether or not it was ‘normal’. Throughout the years, I’ve leaned on this theory to get through some tough times. Here are the five stages:
1. Denial – Usually the initial response. Temporary in nature. ‘Not me, you must be wrong’.
2. Anger – Strong feelings, albeit misplaced, of rage and envy. Often directed towards anyone/anything who symbolizes what was lost. Spouses/partners who are still working usually take the brunt of the anger.
3. Bargaining – Strong negotiation to somehow postpone or delay said activity. Most ‘negotiations’ are made with a ‘higher power’ in exchange for ‘one more chance’. Often puts into perspective the true value of someone/something compared to other, more materialistic, things.
4. Depression – The beginnings and comprehensions of what just happened and what lies ahead. In situations of job loss, we may distance ourselves from former co-workers and friends as the pain of ‘what we used to have’ is too great. Trying to cheer someone up during this stage robs them of the chance to come to terms with the situation on their own.
5. Acceptance – Fifth and final stage of grief. Understanding and peace with the situation. When relating to death, this is the stage where people have accepted they are dying. They often want to be alone and may seem emotionally detached. In terms of job loss, this stage often brings peace and acceptance, quickly followed by the desire to figure out ‘what’s next’. This is when words of wisdom and help in the job search will be welcome. Not before. You’ll be met with resistance and anger if you offer it too soon.
Things have come a long way since 1969. Some things, fortunately, haven’t changed so much. These stages are just as valid today as they were when Kubler-Ross first put her theory into words. Today, we need to acknowledge that there is a grieving process for any sort of loss. If we don’t , we are doing a great disservice to ourselves or others we know going through it. Take a minute and think about these stages and where one may be. Only then can we truly help ourselves and our neighbors.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Facebook Faux Pas? Really?
Facebook has been a part of my vocabulary and my life for just about the past year. I’ve learned so much from it, many things I didn’t know I needed to know. I’ve learned how to ‘friend’. I’ve learned how to ‘ignore’. And I’ve learned what it feels like to be ‘unfriended’. According to my grammar check, I’m not using those words right, but have I got news for my grammar check! Not only am I using them correctly in this blog, I’ve learned how to do them correctly on Facebook! Well, almost . . .
I first heard of Facebook when my brother sent me an email that said, “I found Shelley on Facebook, you should reconnect with her!” I didn’t know what Facebook was but, since he’s my younger brother and technically I should be smarter than him, I pretended to know what he was talking about. So I googled Facebook and checked Snopes.com for the scam-factor, then signed up for it and off I went.
I read up on what you should and should not do on Facebook, especially if you have a public profile. I found webpage after webpage on what you shouldn’t post: underage drinking, where the next party is, inappropriate pictures or anything negative about my job or the people I work with or my in-laws. What I couldn’t find, however, is how you should do things. Had I found that, I might not have made some critical Facebook errors.
One of the first connections/mistakes I made was through a WMU alumni group. I found someone I went to college with and sent him a ‘friend’ request. He accepted, made pleasantries, then weeks went by and I hadn’t heard from him or get any more updates. That is when I learned that I had been ‘unfriended’. Initially, it hurt my feelings, but seriously, we hadn’t communicated in the past 20 years and had one class together in college, so what did I expect? It’s no different than running into someone you haven’t seen awhile and saying, ‘let’s get together soon’ and then he/she doesn’t call. My semi-faux pas? ‘Friending’ someone who I could have just sent a note to. That way, if he had an interest in ‘friending’ me, he could have done so. At least he would have known I was interested, right? Do I even really care? 20 years later? Not really, but I am still talking about it, so maybe?
Another possible faux pas I made on Facebook was deleting a comment that someone had made to my ‘status update’. Well, I didn’t think it was a ‘faux pas’, but apparently I should only delete if it’s offensive or bordering on illegal? I’m not a negative person and the comment was really negative and altered the whole tone of my status update. And since it is MY update, I can make that call, right?
I haven’t figured this one out yet, but do my husband and I have to ‘friend’ all the same people? Just because he is friends with someone we both know, does that mean I have to ‘friend’ them too? If I ‘ignore’ one of his relatives ‘friend’ requests, am I committing a major faux pas? In my world . . . well, I haven’t decided yet.
I’ll just sit on this one and continue to read other blogs until I find out.
I first heard of Facebook when my brother sent me an email that said, “I found Shelley on Facebook, you should reconnect with her!” I didn’t know what Facebook was but, since he’s my younger brother and technically I should be smarter than him, I pretended to know what he was talking about. So I googled Facebook and checked Snopes.com for the scam-factor, then signed up for it and off I went.
I read up on what you should and should not do on Facebook, especially if you have a public profile. I found webpage after webpage on what you shouldn’t post: underage drinking, where the next party is, inappropriate pictures or anything negative about my job or the people I work with or my in-laws. What I couldn’t find, however, is how you should do things. Had I found that, I might not have made some critical Facebook errors.
One of the first connections/mistakes I made was through a WMU alumni group. I found someone I went to college with and sent him a ‘friend’ request. He accepted, made pleasantries, then weeks went by and I hadn’t heard from him or get any more updates. That is when I learned that I had been ‘unfriended’. Initially, it hurt my feelings, but seriously, we hadn’t communicated in the past 20 years and had one class together in college, so what did I expect? It’s no different than running into someone you haven’t seen awhile and saying, ‘let’s get together soon’ and then he/she doesn’t call. My semi-faux pas? ‘Friending’ someone who I could have just sent a note to. That way, if he had an interest in ‘friending’ me, he could have done so. At least he would have known I was interested, right? Do I even really care? 20 years later? Not really, but I am still talking about it, so maybe?
Another possible faux pas I made on Facebook was deleting a comment that someone had made to my ‘status update’. Well, I didn’t think it was a ‘faux pas’, but apparently I should only delete if it’s offensive or bordering on illegal? I’m not a negative person and the comment was really negative and altered the whole tone of my status update. And since it is MY update, I can make that call, right?
I haven’t figured this one out yet, but do my husband and I have to ‘friend’ all the same people? Just because he is friends with someone we both know, does that mean I have to ‘friend’ them too? If I ‘ignore’ one of his relatives ‘friend’ requests, am I committing a major faux pas? In my world . . . well, I haven’t decided yet.
I’ll just sit on this one and continue to read other blogs until I find out.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Jumping to Conclusions
Every new job posting brings hundreds of new resumes. Having been the one to send my resume out in to cyberspace, I know how frustrating it can be, so we set up an automated response for every submittal. While we can’t do it personally, we still wanted to let candidates know their resume was received.
More often than not, we get a ‘thank you for the thank you’ type of email from candidates. For some reason, however, some people take offense to this. Last week alone, I received three negative emails in response to this. The opinion, in short, was that getting an automated response was worse than hearing nothing, figuring, apparently, that there is no ‘personal’ attention behind us or our positions. That we are, instead, just a ‘generic’, automated company that churns out one robotic position after another. Wow, at least they got to know us; who we are and what we are all about.
Had they taken the time to investigate our company and our values, they would have seen that our ‘generic’ response is to let people know that their submittal was not in vain and that we do appreciate them. Our goal is to help as many people get back to work as possible and we are firm in our belief that, working together, we can really make a difference and put Detroit back on the map.
Had they taken the time to talk to us, they would have known that we started this business with all the passion and commitment needed to make a difference. They would have understood our matchmaking; finding that strong match between the culture of the company and the personality of the employee. We can teach computer skills but we can’t teach someone to be something they are not.
Had they taken the time to read our blog, they would have learned that we are committed to our clients, our employees and our community. We offer so much of ourselves to help things get back on track that sometimes there isn’t enough left for our families and friends. We encourage, we mentor and we give hope. We offer personal stories of how we are coping in these times, all in effort to say that ‘We get it’. We understand what things are like out there.
We also understand that in order to make things happen, sometimes we need a little extra ‘technical’ help. So, if that automated response, offends you, I am sorry. It is not intended to offend anyone. Instead, it’s an attempt to say that we feel your pain and we are glad you reached out to us. Sometimes you are right in jumping to conclusions and sometimes you aren’t. It’s a shame if you don’t get the chance to find out.
More often than not, we get a ‘thank you for the thank you’ type of email from candidates. For some reason, however, some people take offense to this. Last week alone, I received three negative emails in response to this. The opinion, in short, was that getting an automated response was worse than hearing nothing, figuring, apparently, that there is no ‘personal’ attention behind us or our positions. That we are, instead, just a ‘generic’, automated company that churns out one robotic position after another. Wow, at least they got to know us; who we are and what we are all about.
Had they taken the time to investigate our company and our values, they would have seen that our ‘generic’ response is to let people know that their submittal was not in vain and that we do appreciate them. Our goal is to help as many people get back to work as possible and we are firm in our belief that, working together, we can really make a difference and put Detroit back on the map.
Had they taken the time to talk to us, they would have known that we started this business with all the passion and commitment needed to make a difference. They would have understood our matchmaking; finding that strong match between the culture of the company and the personality of the employee. We can teach computer skills but we can’t teach someone to be something they are not.
Had they taken the time to read our blog, they would have learned that we are committed to our clients, our employees and our community. We offer so much of ourselves to help things get back on track that sometimes there isn’t enough left for our families and friends. We encourage, we mentor and we give hope. We offer personal stories of how we are coping in these times, all in effort to say that ‘We get it’. We understand what things are like out there.
We also understand that in order to make things happen, sometimes we need a little extra ‘technical’ help. So, if that automated response, offends you, I am sorry. It is not intended to offend anyone. Instead, it’s an attempt to say that we feel your pain and we are glad you reached out to us. Sometimes you are right in jumping to conclusions and sometimes you aren’t. It’s a shame if you don’t get the chance to find out.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Faces Not Numbers
Over the past couple of weeks, WCSXs’ Deminski & Doyle have been putting together a campaign of ‘faces’ of the auto industry here in Detroit. I believe they have over 3000 faces on this 100 foot long banner. Today they are unveiling it at the Chrysler Sterling Heights Assembly plant at 16 Mile and Van Dyke; then Thursday, Washington DC. Deminski & Doyle will be doing their show live from Washington. The theme song for this campaign is, quite appropriately, Bob Segers’ “Feel Like a Number”.
So, those are the facts to the campaign. Behind every great ‘campaign’ there is a great story. The story, in this case, is a story told by many thousands of families in the Metro Detroit area and across the country. Across our region are generations of families involved with the auto industry. Over the years their hard work ‘created’ the middle class, put kids through college that may not have otherwise had the opportunity and generously spent their disposable income in our community.
Fast forward to the present and our situation looks very different. Our middle class is slowly disappearing. We’ve seen housing values drop, and while we’d love to move to that house we’ve had our eye on and now we can ‘afford’, we can’t sell our house and we can’t get financing. We are driving 10 year old cars and have over 130,000 miles because we can’t get financing to buy a new vehicle.
Kids who had dreams of going away to college are now looking, at best, at local community colleges. Not that these colleges aren’t good, but living in a dorm room on a college campus is half of the experience. We learned how to make responsible decisions and live on our own. We learned how to manage our time, make new friends, and become the person we wanted to be. We can still do that, but now we are doing that while living with our parents, having dinner at 5:00, and a curfew of 11:00 (remember “our house, our rules”?).
The disposable income we used to have now goes to paying the rent, mortgage, utility bills and food. No more spending, other than the necessities, which unfortunately takes a toll on the businesses in the area. Eating out has been replaced by more home cooked meals. Nights out have been replaced by movie nights (ON DEMAND is a great option) at home. Popping pop corn is a great treat, but it just doesn’t compare to movie theatre popcorn.
This story, however, has an unknown ending. At this point, it’s up to us to do what we can to make a difference and bring back those ‘luxuries’ we once knew. We can buy America, we can buy local and we can reinvent ourselves to take advantage of the industries that are hiring. If that means going back to school and learning a new trade, then we must do it. We should utilize the programs that are coming available through this new administration to get ourselves, our families and our communities back on track. The warmer weather will allow us to spend less on our heat and more daylight hours will allow us to spend less on our electric bills. Maybe we’ll even do a weekend camping trip up north and enjoy what Michigan has to offer. If we’re feeling real crazy, we may have a 4th of July party and invite our family, friends and neighbors. We may even learn what other people are doing to make a difference during this time and it’ll give us some ideas on what we can do different.
While not an ending, it can be a new chapter in a new direction. Like those ‘create your own’ books from when we were kids, each choice we make opens new doors and new opportunities. The ‘ending’ may be unknown, but we can make choices along the way that can, and will, make a difference.
So, those are the facts to the campaign. Behind every great ‘campaign’ there is a great story. The story, in this case, is a story told by many thousands of families in the Metro Detroit area and across the country. Across our region are generations of families involved with the auto industry. Over the years their hard work ‘created’ the middle class, put kids through college that may not have otherwise had the opportunity and generously spent their disposable income in our community.
Fast forward to the present and our situation looks very different. Our middle class is slowly disappearing. We’ve seen housing values drop, and while we’d love to move to that house we’ve had our eye on and now we can ‘afford’, we can’t sell our house and we can’t get financing. We are driving 10 year old cars and have over 130,000 miles because we can’t get financing to buy a new vehicle.
Kids who had dreams of going away to college are now looking, at best, at local community colleges. Not that these colleges aren’t good, but living in a dorm room on a college campus is half of the experience. We learned how to make responsible decisions and live on our own. We learned how to manage our time, make new friends, and become the person we wanted to be. We can still do that, but now we are doing that while living with our parents, having dinner at 5:00, and a curfew of 11:00 (remember “our house, our rules”?).
The disposable income we used to have now goes to paying the rent, mortgage, utility bills and food. No more spending, other than the necessities, which unfortunately takes a toll on the businesses in the area. Eating out has been replaced by more home cooked meals. Nights out have been replaced by movie nights (ON DEMAND is a great option) at home. Popping pop corn is a great treat, but it just doesn’t compare to movie theatre popcorn.
This story, however, has an unknown ending. At this point, it’s up to us to do what we can to make a difference and bring back those ‘luxuries’ we once knew. We can buy America, we can buy local and we can reinvent ourselves to take advantage of the industries that are hiring. If that means going back to school and learning a new trade, then we must do it. We should utilize the programs that are coming available through this new administration to get ourselves, our families and our communities back on track. The warmer weather will allow us to spend less on our heat and more daylight hours will allow us to spend less on our electric bills. Maybe we’ll even do a weekend camping trip up north and enjoy what Michigan has to offer. If we’re feeling real crazy, we may have a 4th of July party and invite our family, friends and neighbors. We may even learn what other people are doing to make a difference during this time and it’ll give us some ideas on what we can do different.
While not an ending, it can be a new chapter in a new direction. Like those ‘create your own’ books from when we were kids, each choice we make opens new doors and new opportunities. The ‘ending’ may be unknown, but we can make choices along the way that can, and will, make a difference.
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