Troubling trend in work places

Can anyone take the blame for a hazard/social upheaval/a pandemic? 

Increasingly, there is a cry that seems to be permeating the workspaces around the region. It sounds like this: 

• No one is returning my calls!

This is the lament of product/service providers who serve other businesses and on occasion government entities, both core and quasi. Here are some of the comments being experienced by those who offer products/services. 

• Send me a proposal that I can review and get back to you.
• Why don't you WhatsApp me what the requirements are, I'm in a meeting. 
• I thought that I had paid for that already. 
• You were supposed to send me this information weeks ago. [When the proof is provided that the info has been sent, they vanish]. 
• Is there anything you can do about the costs of the assignment? 
• I'm travelling soon.

The thing is budgets are usually in place and available, just not getting the clearance to execute the projects. There seems to be a fear since the pandemic and the uncertainty created a crippling environment. 

There are many who wish to contribute, only to be met with comments like this: 

• Your rates are like that of an overseas consultant. [Wow!!!] Consultants work all over. It shouldn't matter that you may have worked with them before, in another life, and they continued to develop themselves whereas you may not have done so at the same rate. 
• There's also a developing trend where people try to read and spell for you. Here's what I mean; since they see you representing your organization, they think that the invoice represents what you make and that you're going to keep all the funds. Your team has been hired to work in the background, and you have to access information [which is expensive for current reports/ documents]. They think that you're making more than they are and create obstacles. 

There seems to be an atmosphere of busyness. Where workdays are extended due to online meetings. Most seem to be unprepared for meetings and there is a lack of agendas to keep on target. Life has become ad-hoc for many and it's creeping into the workplaces. 

Some are hiding behind the guise of working remotely and productivity is quite low. 

We are surrounded by more information, but it seems to be more of a distraction than actually useful. Our social skills and graces are becoming lost within the world of technology. Basic manners are basically becoming extinct. 

Organizations are going to need to clearly redefine what they expect of their cultures internally and engage in training to realize these objectives. All entities are going to need to examine the value they offer both internally and externally and implement programs that ensure their entire teams reflect these ideals. 

1. So can the problems we are experiencing be solved? Yes! 
2. Will those who are responsible be willing to solve them? If they want to succeed there's no other option. 
3. When will they need to address these anomalies? The sooner the better for all involved.
4. What can be done to address this on the part of the various organizations? There are a number of entities offering technical assistance. 

The environment within which we do business has gone global and therefore we are not subject only to the impact of our immediate environment. We, therefore, need to be prepared and roll out enhanced versions of ourselves at personal and organizational levels. When we do this, we will be well on the way to eliminating the troubling trend in the workplace. 

Why Work?

Lately, it appears that there's a toss up between getting a job or starting a business. The thing is starting a business is becoming so academic that there are now definitions as to who is / isn't an entrepreneur. The discussions are now spinning out as to if the business is designed for growth / just the lifetime of the owner complete with further drilling down of all the surrounding factors.

The various analyses have lead me to a question that I don't believe many people seriously ask themselves. I say seriously since the default answer regardless of whether they are looking at working for themselves / someone else seems to stem from being able to pay bills.

I have been alive long enough to see the spending power of currency shrink. Once upon a time, $x would have enabled you to take 2 or more trolleys to the check out counter of most supermarkets. Nowadays, that same $x would allow you to look through the trolley of goods and see the floor beneath. In other words, the trolley would not even be half full and the money's already gone. May I hasten to add that you still would not have been able to purchase everything that you needed.

So why work? 

• Is it enough to say we want to be able to pay our bills or should we be able to have at least some discretionary income? Governments don't seem to think so as they think of taxes of every type to acquire our often hard earned money with nary an incentive to encourage spending that would result in money making opportunities. Not everyone wishes to engage in squandermania. 
• Will we ever break the cycle of more month than money? 
• What are we doing to build our financial IQ so that we can spot and capitalize on opportunities?
• The days of one job and employment loyalty are a quickly fading memory of the past. Everyone's tuned into the station WIIFM [what's in it for me]. Yet the biographies of the rich and laden with stories of how much they give, and the fact that the more they give the more they get. 
• Athletes and entertainers are paid lots of money for doing one thing well. Yet many of us try to do many different things often unsuccessfully. When will we learn the power of focus. 
• What do we gain from work? Do we work because we want to or because we have to? The difference in answer will assist in determining our attitudes towards our work. 
• Is it only about the money? Many people are going to work so numb nowadays, seldom giving any serious thought to their work unless they hear that it, work, is threatened with cessation. 
• Is owning a business better than working for someone? The answer for this all depends on you. I have met people who have been quite successful in both situations. Their success stems in a large part from their attitudes. 

Various people have different reasons as to why they should work. For the others who are unsure, identify why you do work, decide if this is what you want to do with regards to making your contribution. Then make the adjustments in your life to find your true calling. Once you've take these steps you'll be crystal clear in your mind as to why you should work. Today find your Why for Working!