Expectations

I recently had an interaction with my employer that was less than favorable.  There was a discrepancy on yearend bonus #’s.  Without giving too many details I’ll just say that there was a policy that stated X and what I received was not that because of a disclaimer at the bottom of the policy stating that everything is at the employer’s discretion.  My employer operated within the constraints of the law and technically the policy, but I felt by manipulating the information to their benefit that I was done a disservice.  Interesting decision seeing as I exceeded my profit expectations by over a hundred thousand dollars last year.

I’ve always said that the employee employer relationship needs to be mutually beneficial.  If the scales are ever out of balance both parties need to work to recalibrate or one of the parties needs to make a decision to end the relationship.  It’s kind of funny that in most cases really the only power the employee has is to quit.  It’s very rare that you have any recourse to challenge a decision, challenge pay, or challenge benefits.  But this is what we have come to expect, this is the reality for many people in the private sector, and there are many years of anti-labor legislation to support it.  More often than not though, if you ask someone how’s work the answer is “just trying to pay my bills” or some long countdown to retirement signifying that the scales have been out of balance for a long time.  So why is such a large workforce so complacent?  There are essentially two reasons.  One we are afraid of the unknown and two we have tempered expectations for our employers. 

I don’t want to get too utopian but it sure would be nice if we could raise those expectations.  That there could be revolt when pay increases, bonus pay outs, and stock awards are rewarded to senior mgmt and the majority of the workforce receive the same 1.5% annual wage increase each year.  Or if benefits are cut in efforts to save money.  Or if salaried employees making more than $455 per week could be overtime eligible (current law has that as the cap).  Corporations of all size spend millions of dollars each year in lobbying to maintain the status quo because they bank on the predicament of their employees.    

All of the available data shows wages are stagnant nationwide.  That is true for hourly employees making minimum wage and it’s true for employees of corporate America.  It’s an awful situation but recall the two reasons above.  We are afraid of the unknown.  So if things don’t go our way do we just quit and hope to find something better?  There is a lot of uncertainty out there and when macroeconomic wage figures show stagnation across the board then chances are you won’t find a more lucrative opportunity.  Secondly, we have tempered expectations.  Pay us on time, correctly, and don’t treat me too poorly.  That’s about the extent of what we expect.  Employers know that and they use it to their benefit. 

I suppose the name of the game is to find one of the “good” employers or rather a less bad employer than the rest.  I’m lucky to say I have that despite of this recent issue.  Millions of people don’t though and that is a problem.

This idea of tempered expectations got me thinking and I realized they are not limited to our view on employers.  We also have tempered expectations for government and politicians.  When someone like Bernie Sanders gets on stage and talks about free college and free healthcare we dismiss him immediately because we don’t expect government can or will operate successfully in those areas.  We will dismiss the ideas without ever exploring the validity of the policy or the likelihood it would be successful.  Sometimes we focus too much on the ‘what’ and not enough on the ‘why.’  The ‘what’ is trivial, it’s the ‘why’ that is important. 

The ‘what’ is just the byproduct, the item you sell, the ‘what’ is never something that inspires you.  The ‘why’ is what inspires a movement.  Why do we need healthcare reform, student loan reform, college tuition reform?  Because the system is flawed right now and it’s having lasting negative effects on millions of Americans.  Why is income inequality a bad thing?  Because it’s stripping away class mobility and killing the American dream for everyone not in the 1%.  In the past bipartisanship has been inspired by the ‘why’ but in recent years the polarization in Washington has destroyed that effort. 

In no way am I endorsing Bernie Sanders but at the core I respect his ideals and what he envisions for the country.  I respect his ‘why.’  I respect him far more than any Republican that tells us about every program and department they plan on eliminating from the government.  Or any Republican that believes salvation lies within the private sector.  Government is not always the solution, but it’s needed and it’s far better than an unfettered private sector with more power than it already has now.

If we can take anything away from this election, regardless of the results, it’s that we need to make an effort to raise our expectations.  Start with government and our politicians, and maybe in time as the labor market changes or more pro-employee legislation is passed we can start to raise expectations for our employers.  And lastly don’t focus on the problems with the ‘what’ and instead allow yourself to be inspired by the possibilities of the ‘why.’