Do you feel like your employer values you and what you do?

Good for you (and for your business) for recognizing that competent, motivated employees are your most valuable asset. Circuit City decided a while back that their store personnel were overpaid, so they replaced several thousand experienced salespeople with new, poorly trained, lower-paid employees. Last year, Circuit City went bankrupt. People who go into a store that specializes in electronics and information technology expect the salesperson to have extensive knowledge of the products available. Anybody who has ever shopped at Wal-Mart knows that you are pretty much on your own.

well in business employee's are the most expensive costs but you still have to balancethe books and think motivated people with high wage or low salary and low skills.

you are so nice. I hope my boss would have the same thought as you.

I hear you. I have seen management directives handed down that had to be implemented immediately. "Starting now, we are going to do X with Y issues. We are going to do this every time. Failure to follow this course may result in disciplinary measures." No hint as to where front-line supervisors are supposed to find the time or the resources to implement the new policy. No suggestion as to how to explain to employees that what you have taught them to do no longer applies. Then a week later, when it has become clear that the new policy has created problems rather than solve them, that policy is ditched and replaced with something else. Any attempt to speak out in opposition to the new policy marks you as a "troublemaker" and you may find your career cut short. As far as that goes, I think many managers are so insecure about their own ability to handle their job that they fear anybody with brains and initiative as potential competition. It is not just brutal to employees; it is shortsighted and costly for the organization.

Hi niara: I'm sad because of what you told us because that's what many of us should expect to have in the real work life and that's simply hard to know it. We have forgotten that job must be human, we are not machines so we are not created only to receive orders, we have personal struggles, we need the money for the basic necessities a human can display so a good employer should comprehend all of these things. Thanks for your answer niara. Hope you are having a nice day. Happy New Year and Keep Mylottin. Take Care. -Alvaro.

Many companies look for ways to get rid of older employees. It is, as you say, illegal to just say "You are too old", but they find other ways. They try to make your life on the job so miserable that you will quit. They hire a replacement who is a lot younger and usually works for less and what do they get? They find they have an employee who will take a day off whenever they want one. Young people mostly do not have a responsible work ethic, and it costs companies a great deal of money in lost production, but they continue to try to replace their experienced personnel.

"..you will never get a thank you." That is exactly what I was talking about. The boss would no more thank you than he would thank his car or his laptop. When people are polled about the worst part of their job, they do not choose inadequate pay as the biggest problem; they say it is a lack of recognition.