Useful Stuff I Learned Working Minimum Wage Jobs

Recent events at work have led to alot of illuminating discussions, especially about job experience and roles. In one conversation it came up that many of us are on "down time" at the moment, meaning we don't have much to do. One person asked if another would clean toilets if it meant they could keep their job or not. His 20-year-old reply was a knee jerk-"Oh god no!" But the other, more older employee said, that he would, if it made the difference between being employed or not, he would. The 20 year old would not, he would rather be unemployed that do work that he deemed beneath his education and experience. Its this elitist thinking that frustrates me with the younger generation. My brother would be included in this group. He's often looked down on job opportunities, even when he doesn't have something else to fall back on. He would rather be unemployed than work minimum wage. Why? Because he can always run back home to our mother and/or father. I see the same thing happen with other younger people. I didn't see this "safety net" of going back home as an option. To me, that was failure. It meant I couldn't hack it on my own. So, I've worked up to 3 jobs at any one time to make sure I can support myself (and now my husband and daughter too). I couldn't wait to be independent, living on my own, making my own way in the world. I've worked in retail, fast food, grocery stores, tobacco shops, theaters, call centers, serving samples and I've even been a gift wrapper at Christmas. I made sure I had a degree I could base a career from when I graduated from university. I've always made sure I had a new job when the last one was finished. And from those minimum wage jobs that my brother (and others) would turn up their nose at, I've learned alot of pretty freaking useful stuff. 1. It pays to be nice. Even when a customer is really, really rude and calls you stupid in front of other people. If you stay nice and calm they are the ones who look stupid. 2. In retail and fast food, the customer is always right, even when they aren't. So just understand that and you'll have fewer problems with your customers and your boss. 3. In a commission situation, even best friends will turn into bitter enemies for a sale. I've seen it and it isn't pretty. Be warned. 4. Reading people. Work with the public enough and you can tell pretty quickly when someone is in a "mood" or not. This helps alot when working on a team. 5. Taking an insult with grace. I was once told I have little chubby fingers by a customer, and that's why I was so good at wrapping. While I think she was trying to be half-nice it certainly wasn't to me. Learning the 'perma-smile' helps in these situations. For the record, my fingers might be small but they aren't chubby. 6. Doing more than just your job. Yes, you might be hired to make sandwiches, but if the trash needs to be taken out or a toilet scrubbed make sure you ready and willing to help, or you might find yourself unemployed when the new guy shows up and does it without whining. I write curriculum, but if I see coffee cups and napkins on the conference table after a meeting I clean it up, why should I make someone else clean up after me? All in all, minimum wage jobs gave me the small tools I need every day. Those tools are the things schools don't teach you, only life experience does.

Screw your performance-based raise - Just be Grateful you Have a Job!

Mergers. Ugh. The last time I heard that word was 5 years ago, now here I am again hearing it from some new guy in a suit, hoping he doesn't "slash and burn" the old company and heave me and my fellow co-workers out on our collective butts.

But that won't happen, at this point anyway. The company is one month into this take-over/merger and whoever is left can probably feel pretty safe for now. For those of us on the side that was taken-over the questions around vacation, salary and all things HR are cropping up. We've heard from three executives now and each one talks about how profitable the company will be now that we are one company. Great. Except they say this to the people who have had three years of broken promises when it comes to cost of living increases, salary raises and even internal training. The people who are left have come in day after day, worked our butts off to bring the clients what they want and keeping our jobs was our big reward. Now we're being asked to not only continue to do that, but do it at a lower salary than those who do the same job for the company that "bought" us and we get to work more hours. But apparently we should feel good about this, because we still have our jobs.

Part of me sighs, yeah, I should be grateful. Heck, even my mother-in-law echoed that statement when we briefly talked about it, she said I'm lucky that I still have a job. Well yes, never mind I've worked on over 15 different projects, designed and led the team to develop the world's first wireless virtual training device, and wrote an internationally published white paper on the topic of virtual education...yes. I should be grateful I still have my job at the pay I had three years ago. Yup. Really. Grateful.

The part of me (my mother's side) says: NO!!! No! I've worked on over 15 different projects, designed and led the team to develop the world's first wireless virtual training device, and wrote an internationally published white paper on the topic of virtual education damn it-where the hell is my performance-based pay raise? I have been an integral part of keeping this company afloat and its clients happy for over six years and I want four weeks vacation!

But it's a tricky line to walk in the corporate culture. Ask for too much and you're a greedy, egotistically bit**, ask for nothing and you get nothing. So my meek and mild side usually wins out in these cases, hence why I'm on the losing side of this merger.

On the bright side, I do have an interview this week....