abuse /əˈbyo͞oz/

I see all through the workplace, bosses treating non-bosses like children; demanding inflexible punctuality in the morning but flexibility in return at the end of the day. I see labour codes ignored and safety overlooked; thorough acquiescence expected. I see workers baited to go to extra effort to grow the business, induced by imaginary rewards while the executives and managers reap all the tangible rewards. I see mandatory vacations amount to a farce, with no relief from work—only the option to adjust one’s schedule and work twice as long and hard before and after. I see workers suddenly expected to cover two jobs at once. I see executives deifying competition and sacrifice entirely for self-serving reasons…

All because they can.

Because we believe the fantasy that hard work gets you the promotion, the retirement, the reward of long-awaited happiness well before you are dead or decrepit, and sometimes it almost works out that way. For most people it does not even come close. Most people leave the workforce dead, disabled or poor.

And because we fear unemployment.

Unemployment is a myth. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is the occasional isolated fall-out from drastic systematic over-employment.

And yet I have witnessed the rare exceptions. I have seen people enter the workplace with integrity and knowledge of their value and without fear! Without coveting their job… and demand respect. And in each case, they have received it.