Classic Rant #8 (May 13, 2009): Employers Taking Advantage of Employees

This is a real touchy subject, but I am going to pursue it anyway, because that is what Ranting and Raving is all about.

I have found, though personal experience and through the experiences others have told me about, that many companies are taking advantage of employees due to our lousy economy.

This is not the second coming of the Great Depression, as so many would have us believe. The economy goes up and down every several years, and although this downturn appeared to be huge, I personally don't think it was as bad as some might claim. And what is wrong with pulling back spending a little bit, and putting more in the bank?

My problem is that companies continue to make money during this downturn, but because their profits are not as high as they had been, a total panic has set in. And in my experience, this has filtered down to the employees, who are being held accountable for any lessening profits that companies may have accrued.

Companies are blaming their employees, giving them extra workloads and things to do (and think about) because they are not making as much money has they had been making. Of course, the company's hierarchy is never to blame for the excesses of the past — look at what the banks have gotten away with until recently (and to a certain extent, are still getting away with).

And the incredible amount of layoffs ... how many layoffs did it take to pay for Citibank's naming rights for Citi Field, the Mets' new home?

it is so easy to blame the little guy, that company's are doing just that, rather than looking inwardly at themselves and the polices that they put into practice that created this mess that we are in. Bernard Madoff aside, the little guy is not the one to blame, and there is certainly no need for panic.

The institution of proper business practices — on every level — will return our economy to what it was. Dumping on the little guy is fashionable, but it accomplishes absolutely nothing positive.

I know that what I said was pretty simplistic, but it is time for the big shots to look at themselves and see what they did wrong — not to their employees, who simply followed their policies.