Common Courtesy

Power has changed hands, from employee to employer. Now, we are at their mercy and entirely alone with no help to be seen; this government doesn’t care if we’re taken advantage of, if our rights are compromised or our lives become a struggle. Junior doctors are expected to work extra hours that threaten our very health, students who cannot pay for university out of their own pockets have to take out higher and higher loans, and all workers are nudged towards more work for no more pay.

My skill set doesn’t lend me well to the job market; there isn’t too much demand for an English Literature graduate with a postgraduate certificate in Creative Writing. Still, I know the drill and I accept it. I apply for jobs, sometimes I get an interview, sometimes I don’t. If I don’t hear back from a prospective employer about two weeks after I apply I assume that I’ve been unsuccessful and I’m fine with that. But when I get to the interview stage, I think I at least deserve a regretful email informing me that I’ve been unsuccessful. By the interview stage, I shouldn’t have to just ‘assume’ that I didn’t get the job.

I don’t think I’m entitled to a job. I’m not affronted at the fact that they haven’t employed me; they found someone more suitable and that’s fair enough. But I do think that it’s common courtesy to tell me that. So far, out of the reams of interviews I’ve been to, only one has had the decency to send me a politely regretful rejection email.

I have no rights, that’s what it feels like. It might not be the reality but that’s the impression I’m getting at the moment. Companies are too busy, and they’re under no pressure to respect their employees or potential employees anymore. 

Recently, a friend of mine battled with a bout of depression that severely limited her ability to work. Perhaps a little naively, she informed her employer of her condition and requested some time off to recuperate. The next day, she received a text message telling her in no uncertain terms that she was fired, and her job was being re-advertised. Good luck and goodbye.

A text message. Her employer will get away with that because my friend doesn’t belong to a union and can’t afford a lawyer to take her case to a tribunal. Zero hour contracts, minimum wages and very few rights seems to be the story of today’s economy. Another friend has worked at a local coffee place for six years, and requested time off after her mother recently died. She was told that she wouldn’t be paid for this time off, after six years of loyalty and hard work. She supported her employers, and when she needed their support they were nowhere to be seen.

None of this is encouraging. Maybe my best hope is to ditch my fear of the unknown and become a full time bohemian writer living out of a van in India, Holland or France. Depending on how far I manage to get.