1. REBALANCING THE EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP
As I help the young woman prepare her resume, part of me is chocking on the advice that I
have to give to her as a responsible career counselor. I have been working with her for several
months helping her to identify her interests, skills, the best work environment for her, and her
personality type. But I’ve also gotten to know her, her sly sense of humor, her ability to “cut to
the chase” as we’ve talked about various options she might pursue. I know that her father is an
alcoholic and that her mother suffers from chronic depression, and that she has been the
mainstay in her family. I know that at an early age she had the wisdom and courage to join
Alateen, and is purposefully setting an example of hope and possibility for her younger sister
And yet, I know that I am supposed to guide her to conflate herself into a “branding
statement,” to describe herself using “key words” that will attract a busy, undiscriminating
employer who is looking only for those key words and may simply put her resume through a
scanner that will select out any resumes not using the desired key words. Nowhere in the
resume is there a place for an expression of the remarkable person she is.
In a real sense, employers have become consumers of job seekers who are trained to promote
themselves as the most desirable products for an employer’s needs. When a job candidate is
fortunate enough to be granted an interview, he goes into it representing the marketing
document - his resume -that has captured the attention of an employer. The interview is totally
focused on what the candidate can do for the employer. The employer holds the cards, sets the
terms of the employment process, and in so doing misses the opportunity to get to know the
richness of the whole human being who may become his employee. Employees are hired to fill
slots, and they go to work to fulfill desired functions.
Today, the focus of employment is about the relationship between an employer and an
employee. But from the employee’s perspective, the performance of a desired task is their
“work” Work is a profoundly human endeavor, the use of one’s commitment of their energies
and selfhood in the performance of a task, for which he or she is “compensated.” The very term
“compensation” is an acknowledgement of the worth and value of the worker’s time and
energies. Studs Terkel, in his book, Working, a study of the working lives of many Americans,
writes that work is a search for meaning as well as daily bread.
As the working lives of many are extended well beyond “retirement age,” it is increasingly
important for employers to understand that employees are not just products they’ve acquired
to meet their needs, but are human beings who bring their time, energies and whole beings to
the workplace. The majority of their waking hours are spent in the workplace. In a real sense,
employers are “hosts” in their enterprises. As well as providing compensation and benefits,
they might be seen as responsible for their employees’ quality of life. It is important that they
see their workers as valuable contributors to their endeavors. In order for their workers to find
meaning in their work lives, there must be opportunities for growth and recognition of the gifts
of personhood that their employees bring to the workplace. The worker who performs any task,
no matter how small or insignificant, with a commitment to do it as well as possible brings the
gift of integrity to his work. The worker who neutralizes stress and conflict with her sense of

2. humor has contributed an invaluable gift to all with whom she works, and to her employer.
These gifts can be as important as any skills that he or she has to offer
In this age of consumerism, it is especially important that we understanding that first and
foremost, employment – work - is a human activity and strive to make workplaces, places
where human beings can contribute, grow and find meaning as well as earn a living.