What Ever Happened to The “Job for Life”

Graham worked for a large Australian company for 37 years. in his late 50’s he was suddenly given a few weeks’ notice that his services were no longer required. We can understand his perplexity, reflection astonishment and deep concern for his future welfare. ‘Whatever happened top my “job for life,” which I thought was secure until I reached the age of retirement?’ Graham wondered. Of course, losing one’s job is not unusual, nor is it something new. However, the magnitude of job loss on a global scale is new to this current generation of employees. Undoubtedly there are many reasons for job loss, but a major one appears to be what is called downsizing. What is downsizing, and how has it come about?

The Changing Workplace

Economics today become increasingly global. This came to be realized particularly in the United States in the late 1970’s when companies notices that increasing numbers of consumers were purchasing cars, electronics, and many other goods produced overseas. in an effort to become competitive and reduce reproduction costs, American companies began cutting the number of workers and improving methods and equipment. The technique used to reduce the work force became known as downsizing. The process has been described as “reducing the size of an organization’s workforce, usually through a combination of layoffs, early retirement incentives, transfers. and natural attrition,” For some years it was blue-collar workers who were mainly affected by the downsizing. But in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, this process began to include growing numbers of white-collar staff, particularly middle management. These trends soon affected all industrialized nations. And as financial pressure continued, governments and other employers searched for cost reductions through further downsizing.

For many workers, job security no longer exists. A trade union official states: “People who gave 10. 15, 20 years of loyal service have seen their implicit contract ripped up and they have been thrown out.” In her book Healing the Downsized Organization, Delorese Ambrose explains that in 1956 the term “organization man” was coined to describe the typical employee. She adds: Whether he worked as a union laborer or a manager, he turned over his economic well-being, social life, and loyalty to the organization in exchange for security-a job for life. Clearly, this past has been broken in the modern corporation.” Millions of workers around the world have lost their jobs to downsizing, and no group of employees has escaped unscathed. In the United States alone, the number of employees involved has been substantial with millions losing permanent jobs. Similar downsizing has occurred in many other countries. But these cold statistics along do not convey the human misery behind them.