it's measured in countless ways by everyone, and i in no way pretend that i can comprehend the life of a haitian who lives on a few cents a day and feeds her kids patties made of dirt, salt, a little cooking oil and barely potable water. ( we made mud-pies as kids too, but always knew it wasn't what was for dinner.)i don't have to look at my ira statements, so don't. not being anywhere near retirement's edge, i don't need it for a long time. it was a pretty small amount that i know is significantly smaller anyway, lol.
last year, i spilled a significant bit of electronic purple ink bemoaning my work. many of us spend more time there than at home or with loved ones, and that's especially true for me. not a day goes by without me feeling a tinge of gratitude for how improved that situation is now.
my commute: many times, i spent more than 4 hours a day traveling to that hated place. now it's less than 20 minutes and just one train.
my income: above industry average now, allowing me to baby-step out of debt and actually have a little mad money now and again.
my employer: not trying to cheat everybody they meet or hire, and willing to give you (me) a very long rope. yes, it's one that can choke you just as fast, but if you're competent and motivated they stay out of your hair. contrast this with the constant microscopic dissection and projection of theft, laziness and incompetence i've experienced two times over now.
my co-workers: smart, fast, funny, ambitious. contrasted with so many recent colleagues whose value was simply a warm body in the building. the owners didn't want *smart*, or new thinking. do you know how many times my last boss told me, "we don't want to re-invent the wheel here"? do you know how many times my new boss has told me, "we need to be *different* from everybody else"? or better still, "what do you think"? the slothful here self-select pretty quickly.
product value: back in high-end dining, where the staff doesn't get intimidated because somebody is spending money, and the bosses aren't trying to pinch pennies in every corner. "exceed their expectations". yes, i know, the client is paying a fortune, but give them goodies not in their contract and they swoon. the chocolate bark given in bags as a good-bye favor recently made everybody insanely happy. it probably cost us $10 for 200 people, lol.
autonomy: one of my biggest frustrations with my 2 last jobs was the ball and chain the owners shackled on me. regardless of volume, unless you were there at least 10 hours a day, they felt swindled. managers falling all over each other in virtually empty dining rooms, yet nobody was allowed to duck in the office to do other work. schedule changes or days off required acts of god. often times, it was just more trouble than it seemed worth; the request was seen as such impudent audacity it brought unimaginable ire. here? unless i have an event or meetings, i can come and go basically as i please. 9-5, 12-8, 10-4, they don't care as long as your shit is done. wow. we get treated like adults rather than incompetent chattel. what a novel concept! honestly, our office is so isolated from everybody else, they barely know if we're on-premise or not.
paid time off: it accumulates per hours worked. so all these 50- and 60-hour weeks are being banked for vacation time. i fill out a form and get paid if i don't work. that simple. my last boss wanted SIX weeks' notice for vacation. for so long i knew i was quitting anyway, i just wanted the dough to live off when i left, so i had stopped caring about that lunacy.
i don't sit on a rainbow (in fact, my chair is more like a wonky grocery cart that i'm constantly coralling back into position) and ride unicorns around my job. there is much that makes me crazed and much room for improvement. BUT -- my bosses know that and want to get there, with our help. they trust me now as competent -- i sensed the switch after an initial observation period. so many have washed out (55 people since january. 55. not counting kitchen or service!!!!), they watch and see, and don't invest until they know you can cut it. that's fine by me. it's a transient business and this is one of the toughest in which i have ever found myself.
it's not killing me, so we know what that means.
:)
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