United we stand…divided…well you know

This will be a rant…yep a real, honest to goodness, can’t stop myself, toddler temper tantrum rant.

Workers of the world unite!  Unite and get the sort of flexibility you want in the workplace.  That is the ONLY way it will happen.  That means all generations, all genders, all races, all religions, those with children, those without children, those with grandchildren, and so on, and so on and so on.  Stop separating yourselves to advance your particular agenda at the expense of the whole.

What on earth am I talking about?

Well let’s see, there are women who are being slighted constantly.  Older workers who need to start a revolution.  Families who just can’t make work work. Younger workers who are misunderstood.   Then there was this podcast series that separated everyone from moms to dads to Latinos to seniors to…well everyone.

There are movements and conferences and isms that continually pit workers against one another.  And you know what, it’s working…the corporate work world isn’t really changing…instead they’re watching workers duke it out with each other for more attention to their particular segment of the population.

I have an idea.  How about instead we talk about the similarities in what we all seek and we work together to make it happen?  I know…crazy…right? Here goes:

We the People of the World of Work, in Order to form a more perfect Workplace, establish Justice, insure business productivity and growth, provide for ourselves, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the World of Work.

Workers Bill of Rights:

Autonomy over our schedules – whether we work hourly or are on salary

Freedom to work where and how we want as long the job gets done

Right to be treated like the adults we are

Right to have outside interests and take time for those regardless of what time of day they occur

Ability to work at the level we’ve achieved and be compensated accordingly even if we work less than 40 hours/week

Right to receive raises, promotions, and bonuses based on the merit of our work instead of on the amount of face time put in at the office

Right to ask for more flexibility at work without being discriminated against

Right to work without discrimination when we have children, have reached retirement age, are just out of college, or need to care for sick loved ones

Right to fall ill and not be financially penalized or fear for our jobs

Right to take time off for ourselves that we have earned and not be categorized as “shirkers”

This is not dictatorship but a democracy so please feel free to propose your own amendments.  I don’t think these are unreasonable…but I do think that unless we ALL work together this World of Work Constitution and Workers Bill of Rights will never be realized.