Friday, August 15, 2008

A Baby Boomer's Life in Corporate America

My girlfriend sent me this email today, along with a note asking me if I would be a character witness if she had to stand trial for murder.

That told me she was having a ROUGH day on the job with her thirty-something "know-it-all" boss. I've been there---done that---and even wrote a book about it so I can feel her pain. What's a poor baby boomer to do when they have to put up with a boss who knows less but gets paid more?

In the meantime, here's the email she sent me:

PRISON
You spend most of your time in a 10X10 cell

WORK
You spend most of your time in a 6X6 cubicle

PRISON
You get three fully paid for meals a day

WORK
You get a break for one meal,and you have to pay for it

PRISON
For good behavior, you get time off

WORK
For good behavior, you get more work

PRISON

The guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you

WORK
You must carry a security card and open all the doors yourself

PRISON
You can watch TV and play games

WORK
You could get fired for watching TV and playing games

PRISON
You get your own toilet

WORK
You have to share the toilet with people who pee on the seat

PRISON
They allow your family and friends to visit

WORK
You aren't even supposed to make personal calls on the phone. And don't even think about sending an email!

PRISON
All expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required on your part

WORK
You must pay all your expenses to go to work, and they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners

PRISON
You spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out

WORK
You spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars

PRISON
You must deal with sadistic wardens

WORK
They are called 'managers'

4 comments:

Vicki M. Taylor said...

I can't be an expert witness for your friend, but I can help with bail money.

Rhea said...

I feel for your friend, and I love that prison/employee comparison chart. So true!!!

Anonymous said...

This makes me so glad I have never had to deal with Corporate America!

David said...

I know exactly what this feels like. My job of 23 years at a major corporation was eliminated due to outsourcing and "OE"... Operational Excellence... right.. cost cutters... BUT, it was a gift given to me. It is something that I should have done YEARS ago, but never had the courage to start over again somewhere else. The deparment, IT, that I worked in was full of terrible, unfriendly, back stabbing people and no matter how hard I tried, I could not get management see that I had a lot of innovative spirit that was not being used in the best way. Oh well... I'm venting...:-) What I have been given is a blessing and a chance to do what I love. I have been a musician for over 40 years and now I have the chance to give that passion my full attention. So, my point is, if you CAN....we should all try our BEST to do what we love. You run into issues no matter what you do, but if it's something you love, everything is a lot easier.