Summary and
Paraphrase
Plagiarism Activity
The Changing Workplace
It is true that in previous
generations longevity of employment was a way of life. There are some companies that have been known
to employ their workers from an early age and keep them in that trade or field
until retirement. The expectations of
retirement also changed over the years.
Today one could expect an investment plan or retirement plan to be there
when retirement approaches. Unlike the
days before, a pension, social security and a gold watch was to be
expected. This stereotypical vision of
our society’s workplace has also painted the picture that ethics and
professional values were a huge part of our workforce. There were some who worked from 15 or so to
60 or 65 years of age. Not so much
because of their vision of retirement, but because they could grow in the field
or trade. Their skills would increase
and the positions would continue to be filled by the ladder climbers below
them.
True to common knowledge is the
idea that to back then,
managers had to be knowledgeable of all functions with their departments in
order for that department to be managed effectively. Employee started at the entry level, learning
all functions of the job, then worked their way into management. This was intended to allow the employee to
learn all of the functions of the department as they were promoted to positions
of greater responsibility. This meant
moving from for example, mailroom to supervisor in one career.
In modern times, people are continually moving from job to job and from career to career.
This was something that was really not common in the early years of the last century.
This movement is creating experience for that person in different industries but what real
effect does it have on their work ethics? Although during their working years they assume
many responsibilities and acquire various sets of skills, there is not a sense of loyalty to the company or industry between the employee and the company as there once was.
In either case, experience is experience and can be extremely marketable for a worker to have. It seems that in the 21st century, many employees will go from competitor to competitor applying skills they learned from their previous employer to the next.
Technical expertise and
product knowledge are no longer prerequisites for managers. It is more important to have the ability to
motivate, achieve results, and supply vision for the company. Basically, they may be totally unfamiliar
with a company’s products or services and still be given the opportunity to
manage.
References
Carolyn Carlson, Ph.D. “The
Changing Workplace,” Workplace Monthly. New York:
Millenium Publishers, June 2002, p. 42.
Doug Roorda
Kelly Smith
Floyd Ward
De Thomas
Trevor Vollstedt
Jeannine Klein-Talar, APR
October 21, 2002
