Tuesday 16th January 2007, 00:36I Stand Accused......I have had lots of feedback to the blogs. Thanks for taking the time to let me know what you think and what thoughts they have sparked off in your own mind.
However, as you would expect not all the feedback has been positive. I received feedback from one person who has accused me of being “obsessed with the idea that everyone should work”. I have been accused of wanting to enslave everybody into a capitalist slave model – where the “have nots” loose everything, including their minds, in a ceaseless world of work.
Actually, I found the feedback really interesting and it has made me think about my views and question why I think work is such an important part of life. So here goes, I will answer the charge;
Why am I obsessed with the idea that everyone should work?
Well first of all I would have to say “obsessed” is a strong word. Obsessed meaning – to preoccupy completely; haunt, torment, infatuation.
I’m relaxed about all of that, apart from the bit about “completely”. The idea that everyone in our society should have the opportunity to work is a preoccupation of mine. I do believe each person has a right to work; they are entitled to expect to be able to use their skills and abilities to good effect. That is not to say society must provide work for everyone and it is not to say that all “work” needs to be paid for. I know many people who very much enjoy their work albeit on a voluntary basis. I do get vexed over the idea that certain parts of society are excluded from work because of their age, sex, cultural or religious issues. Sometimes these exclusions are self imposed, sometimes parts of communities seek to impose barriers to employment due to tradition or cultural values and sometimes employers fail to see past the end of their prejudices and can not see some of our community in their employment.
I’m not sure I think “everyone should work” as it smacks of an authoritarian nanny state opinion. Rather I want to ensure that everyone “can” work. Everyone should be able to enjoy work and know that they can access support to gain employment. I also believe that for many people who are excluded from our society due to a lack of work and are rejected time and time again, feel that they no longer want to work. This is understandable, and if repeated rejection results in this mind set I can understand it. However, I would want to help move this mind set on. I would want to challenge this fear of work and support the person to gain confidence that we can help them find employers who want them and what they can bring to their work. Sometimes the concept of tough love is needed to enable the person to progress to another state of mind.
Work is important not for work itself but for the opportunity it presents to bring meaning into a meaningless life. That is not to say only work can bring meaning to a persons life but through work there is independence and an opportunity to provide for yourself and your family. Also an opportunity to provide a service to others, to financially donate to charity and to support others with your skills to make a difference, to know you have value and you are needed by others. Ultimately you see yourself within a community rather than outside of a community. Voluntary work provides many of these advantages and can be the thread that weaves and holds a life together.
Before I finish I have to mention one other word; haunted. I am haunted by the many faces of unemployed people I have met. I have seen fear and threat and worthlessness in the eyes of people who’s only crime was to be unemployed. Shame, is a tough word, but many people carry the burden of shame when unemployed. To know you have no value in an employer’s eyes, to know you exist through the good will of others and government handouts and can leave a person hollowed out. In Poland today, some desperate mothers have been so torn apart as they leave their children at the steps of local orphanages to desert their country to escape to England and the opportunity of work. These thoughts do haunt me.
We have the opportunity to change so much within our society and our work is a gift to those in need.
So yes I am guilty of the charge. Thanks to everyone at A4e who works at the front end of our delivery and tackles these issues everyday. It is your work and magic that inspires me to want to grow this business and grow the numbers of people we can help.
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