Americans are finding “nice work if you can get it” an increasingly unlikely scenario. Whether down on the farm or high atop the skyscraper, manufacturing goods or providing services, at Fortune 500 corporations or mom-and-pop stores, employing college graduates or tradespeople, Americans feel completely exhausted, unfairly compensated and totally expendable.
I have had my fair share of unreasonable work schedules, starting from the usual 40 weekly hours, to 50, to 60, to … all work, no sleep. I have had my fair share of low-paying jobs: shoe stockkeeper, telemarketer, commercial painter … all minimum wage. I have had my fair share of being an unsung hero, while others were awarded a medal, plaque, statue … all green with envy.
I used to counter these frustrating situations with two questions: “Do I need my boss more? Or does my boss need me more?” I would try to get into a situation where I was needed more, so that I could willfully drag my feet on work tasks, bargain a higher salary, hourly wage or commission, and demand front-page exposure in the next issue of the company magazine.
But these strong-arm tactics did not endear me to my bosses, who made my work more difficult. Then I had on my hands a toxic stew that boiled over, scalding me. The results? Career burnout, constant turnover, low morale, employee malfeasance, sick days, personality conflicts, mental illness, substance abuse … I swear, looking into that toxic stew was like staring into the abyss.
Hey, people! Do not follow my example and commit career suicide by reverse-managing your workloads, nickel-and-diming the company and talking down to higher-ups. Rather, in a new position, “pay your dues” — work hard, accept standard pay, keep your head down — as the surefire way of moving up. Once past probation, you can ask for reasonable accommodation.
But quitting an exhausting, low-paying and thankless job may be the only option. If by the end of the 90-day probationary period it is not what you want, then move on. Do not waste your time or the organization’s. Or, if you have been there for some time but the way up is blocked, then be on the lookout for opportunities elsewhere before submitting your two weeks’ notice.
For me, the way up and out was higher education. It didn’t just make a difference; it made all the difference. It started with a lesson in appreciating the American worker who has to grind, grind, grind, day in and day out, unfailingly and unflinchingly. I now gratefully and cheerfully acknowledge my indebtedness to them as the great source of my past professional success.
I also learned American working values: finding self-respect through my work — giving 110% effort every single time — translated into hard work, not overwork; taking pride in my work rewarded me in ways that the take-home pay simply could not; and being passionate about my work turned more heads than my smiling mug on the front cover of the company magazine.
The American formula for success: “be a jack of all trades and a master of one.” Mastery in, say, electro-mechanical engineering when others do only electrical or mechanical, gets you a job. But work experience in construction makes you a jack of all trades in architectural design, structural engineering and mechanical, electrial and plumbing. That means you are in a position to manage construction projects.
One last lesson: “strive after excellence.” In a seminar, a businessperson said, “There may be too many businesspeople. But there’s always room for a good one.” And “good” means having a track record for reliability and competence an a moral compass to decline work. This is true of all professions, whether businessperson or electrician, lawyer or plumber, doctor or mechanic.
This article originally was published in the Trib Live digital newspaper on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
Please click on the link below to read the original version of this article:
https://triblive.com/opinion/jason-w-park-overworked-underpaid-and-unappreciated-sound-familiar/
Jason W. Park, a writer based in Los Angeles, earned his PhD in strategic management from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business.
