Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain

I have worked all my life and have never been laid off

It took years of hard work and patience to get what I want

To do my job and be proud of the work that I do

Watching others learn and struggle like I have in the past

Work is not all there is in life

It pays my bills and gives me money in my pocket

It takes care of my health insurance for a price

I am able to save for the future and work closer to the day when I can retire

I have seen many coworkers come and go

They leave for many reasons

Some for better pay

Others for a different career

I have chosen this job to be my only profession

I am happy where I am

It puzzles me to think

That bosses are never satsified

When is enough good enough

I show up and go up and beyond my job requirements

I am easy to work with and try to influence other coworkers to do their best

I am reliable and dependable and have an excellent track record to prove it

As I listen to preshift pep talks I wonder

What do you really want ?

How come you cannot be happy with a job done well time after time ?

Are you just trying to find faults in your employees when the economy is down ?

You have asked us to do more than we have in the past

We have stepped up to the plate and you still want more

We do the job of two people and don't complain

We have been short handed many times and sucked it up

You continually try to change things when things are going smooth

Don't you see it ?

There is talent that you don't seem to notice or too busy to care

You are so concerned about numbers

That you give us a quick thank you and tell us we really do appreciate all you have done

But the truth is

You go back to business as usual

You only want to save more and make more

When will profits ever be enough

When days are good and business is up

You are quiet

You think we don't notice

You only want to remind us when something is wrong

You keep cutting our hours and say the economy is rough

But you hire new employees at the same time

We have not lost any help

You just find a way to play games and change our schedules

According to the needs of the business

That's the way it is

Like it or not

What happened to experience and job satisfaction

What happened to being happy at doing your job

Why do we have to put on a fake smile

When if we are treated right the customer will know

You don't think they know the difference ?

Years come and years go

The money changes hands many times

Raises are kept secret and seem to be for new employees only

We are told we make to much and our capped at a certain salary

We will make no more

The cost of living goes up and you just have to look at the gas prices that have sky rocketed

To 3.49 a gallon of regular gas

How can you not take care of your loyal workers first

You think giving them a job is enough

When the new employees will come and go as fast as flees on a dog

Loyalty is more than money in the bank

It is tried and true over years of effort

Someday you may see the error in your ways

If you are no longer management and become a worker once more

You will see what I see

You will feel what I feel

I am thankful for the job that I have

I am thankful for the salary that I recieve

I wonder if you would be as thankful as me

Would you move on to greener pastures

Would you stick it out to the end with me

Until things turn around

I will be watching you like you watch me

I will see if you are by my side in ten and twenty years from now

Work is about making your life complete

Having time to do the things with your family

When you don't have to punch the time clock

Have we forgotten to take care of our good workers and make them feel special

Do we think that work is everything and we should have no life

Haven't we put enough sweat over the years to show that we are dedicated

Times have changed where seniority means little to nothing

What a shame that those with the most talent are taken for granted

I understand you need young blood to keep salaries low

If you bite the hand that feeds you

You may be without not just a meal but a hand to welcome the next new employee

Simply put lets work together and in the end

Take our problems that we have today and find a way to a solution

Listen to those with experience and your job will become easier with a lot less snags in the way

I would not be writing this if it wasn't for you

You would not be reading this if it wasn't for me

Together we make a good team

The economy will pick up

Life will go on

Lets enjoy what we do now

Later we can laugh how we survived the tough times still giving our best

In the end being proud of all the people that made it possible and repecting the right decisions

of helping those who have been by your side

Through thick or thin