Labor pains

I went outside and started to clear a path to my car, but the snow was coming down faster than I could shovel it. After a few minutes debating in my head, I decided I had seen enough and went back inside to call my boss to let him know that my town had two feet of snow over the past 24 hours and that I wouldn’t be coming into the office. When I got my boss on the line, we talked a bit about how things were where he was, and he told me to just take the day as a vacation day.

The snowstorm was close to fifteen years ago. Fast forward to the current day, if it were winter and we were to get two inches of snow overnight, my boss would simply say stay inside and that he was looking forward to seeing me working online. He would remind me that we were scheduled to meet later in the day and that he was expecting me to send him the report that I had promised.

Work has changed dramatically since I was a young man. In the spirit of labor day, I’ve been thinking about some of the changes. 

Then Now
Offices for higher ups and cubicles for everyone else. Remote work spaces, virtual meetings, cloud computer services and standing desks.
Long commutes. Traveling from the master bedroom to the office in the den.
Workplaces much less technology oriented. Extensive technology, automation, and artificial intelligence to solve problems.
Paper files, folders, and shared drives. The Internet, smartphones, online file sharing have made it easier to work anywhere.
Most business comms happened face-to-face and heavy reliance on land lines, hard copies and email.Teams chats, SharePoint, and social collaboration.
Business professional dress, including a suit and tie. Casual polo or Oxford shirt from the waist up, pajama bottoms and slippers, out of view.
General stability. Increased workforce transitions.
Standard schedule, little flexibility in hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule. Employees fighting for increased autonomy over where and when they work.
Workers looking to move up the corporate ladder. Workers seeking contentment and meaning in their work. Workers looking to move up the ladder on their own terms.
Workers limited to two weeks vacation. Little room for compromise. Workers demanding unlimited Paid Time Off.

How does your list of work changes compare? What have I missed?

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28 thoughts on “Labor pains”

  2. Happy Labour Day, Brian.

    It certainly is fascinating to see how the world of work has changed during the pandemic. I am thankful for the flexibility of hybrid work. It’ll be curious to see how it continues to evolve. I for one am happy to see a bigger shift towards work life balance.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yea, I’ll be interested to see how things change over time. The smart companies are going to be the ones that invest in employees and take advantage of these changes to make the workplace evolve and meet employee needs. It’s going to be an interesting ride!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. This is a great list, Brian, and I think the theme is that employees are demanding better work-life balance, while (most) employers are trying to balance employee retention and the bottom line.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I was feeling the same, Erin. Terrific, comparative list Brian. I wonder about Erin’s thoughts…employees seeking balance…employers trying to retain. Seems like the two should be able to work together to achieve shared goals but there’s a good bit of buzz about employers not knowing how to “trust” employees they cannot “see” (in person). Oy!

      Liked by 2 people

  4. I’m thankful that I don’t have to think about any of this anymore Brian! And having my careers in healthcare when I was working meant a lot of this wasn’t ever an option anyway. All of my kids and their spouses, with the exception of one, works in some combination of in-person and remote with 2 totally remote. They all love those options.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I work remote and there’s lots of things I like about it. If I’m honest, there’s things I miss about being in person though too. I can’t always read people as easily online. In addition, I like keeping a balance too between work and home. I feel like younger workers blend the two more than I might. I have a coworker who regularly cuts out in the middle of the day to do errands or what have you, but then she regularly logs in at the middle of the night to take care of emails and other things. It works for her schedule. I’m happy for her. I’m not sure I would like that though.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I get that. It’s a one and done for me- let me give the hours that I’m required to each day and then be free until I go back. I had to often cover two hospitals on one shift then end up back at my home site to close out data for the day. I finally had enough seniority that I was able to simply say no more of that. That was a good day!

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  5. I think you made a great list of comparisons. What I noticed with my work was in the beginning, I had to drive to a typesetter for ads and newsletters. My boss of the PR agency was 75 years old and didn’t bring us into the world of computers.

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  6. A fascinating then and now look. What puzzles me is that the working conditions of “then” seem so much less flexible and more demanding and yet there was more stability in the workforce. The overall trend is puzzling and I love how you laid it out. Happy Labor Day, Brian!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I noticed this as well, Wynne, and spent way too much time thinking about it. 😅 I suspect is has to do with a salary vs. value of the dollar. For example, my grandparent’s first home cost 20% of my grandfather’s salary; today, the average home cost in my city is 650% of our household salary (same concept goes for groceries, travel, etc.). My grandfather worked for the same company for ~30 years and retired young with a handsome pension (I don’t think pensions exist anymore outside low-paying government jobs). While he worked long hours and traveled internationally for weeks at a time, his wife stayed home to raise the kids and manage the home so he had fewer demands to worry about at home (few can afford this anymore). While I can’t say whether it’s good or a bad thing, I think women entering the workforce en masse shifted the landscape.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I’m probably missing a few things in my chart, I was just thinking about some of the things I’ve experienced in my 30 plus years of work. We definitely had less flexibility back in the day. When my kids were born, I was able to take maybe a week or two off but that was it. Happy Labor Day too.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. I loved this Brian. Its so interesting to look at the differences across time. What I also found interesting is to see the differences between the US and the UK. The thing that got me was the holidays. I can remember going for an interview in the 1980s and being told there were only 3 weeks’ holiday. I would accept anything less than 4 plus public holidays. Today, that’s a legal entitlement in the UK … 28 days paid holidays, including stat days

    I think at the moment so much is in a state of flux. It would be interesting to see where we are in 5-10 years time.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much for pointing that out Brenda. When I worked at one company, we used to point that out every year, how our peers in the UK and across Europe were “smarter” in taking time off for holiday and why didn’t we do the same thing. You need time away from work to recharge and to be reenergized. I’ll be interested to see where this goes in the future!!!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I think there are so many things impacting on the world of work right now. I dont think anyone can predict what it will be like. What’s the industrial relations like in the States? I know/believe the unions have less power there. College lecturers are just starting to take action here in Scotland. One day this week, and one next week.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Somehow, with every job I have changed since 2020 (don’t ask, there have been many! Covid and all that…) Every. Single. One. I had to work at the office!
    Oh, no, not true; one I worked at from home – but that was a big ole two months, helping out a friend so I don’t count it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ugh, that stinks Dale. I’m working remotely now . . . and yes, there are things I miss about the office, but I definitely like having the option. If nothing else, I save a ton of $$$ on gas money now. I used to have to travel 50 minutes, 30+ miles each way to get to work. It’s nice working from my back office. Who knows where the future will take us.

      Liked by 1 person

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