Common Problems‿ in the workplace

My name‿ is Paul. I spen(t) four years‿ in‿ a call centre,│ an(d) the problems‿ I encountered there were structural rather than personal,│ which‿ is why I have los(t) patience with the contention that‿ a better^be-der‿ attitude constitutes‿ a solution.

The wage was stagnant:│ across four years‿ it rose by three percent│ while the cost‿ of living rose by eleven,│ a reduction politely described‿ as‿ a pay rise. Work was precarious,│ breaks were cancelled‿ at shor(t) notice,│ an(d) the grievance procedure‿ existed‿ upon paper‿ an(d) nowhere‿ else. Turnover was‿ understandably prodigious‿ an(d) the attrition was‿ interpreted by management‿ as‿ an‿ attitude problem rather than‿ a symptom,│ which‿ is convenien(t) for‿ a company disinclined to raise‿ its rates. The union was the sole body that produced‿ a single‿ alteration,│ an(d) collective bargaining secured‿ us fifteen minutes per shift. It was meagre,│ and‿ it‿ exceeded the achievement‿ of four years‿ of‿ individual complaint.

I resigned,│ and‿ I now work‿ in‿ a smaller firm│ where the balance between work‿ an(d) life‿ is genuinely respected. I am conscious,│ nevertheless,│ that my improvemen(t) was‿ a personal‿ escape rather than‿ a remedy. Where statutory protection‿ is weak‿ and‿ enforcemen(t) weaker,│ certain‿ employers will‿ exploit precisely to the limit the law permits,│ an(d) no quantity of collegiality will‿ alter the arithmetic. The problem was never the disposition‿ of my colleagues;│ it was the terms‿ on│ which we were‿ engaged.