Their Voice: Finding Value in Every Job and Every Worker | News, Sports, Jobs



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I have a poem written on a notice board in my training room that has been there for years. I don’t remember where I found it and I didn’t know who wrote it until now – Douglas Malloch. The poem says, “If you can’t be a pine tree at the top of the hill, be a bush in the valley – but be the best little bush by the stream, be a bush if you can’t be a tree.” If you can’t be a bush, be a little grass, and a highway makes you happier; if you can’t be a muskellunge then just be a bass – but be the liveliest bass on the lake! We can’t all be captains, we have to be crew members, there is something for all of us here, there is a big job to do, and there is less to do, and the task you have to do to do is near. If you can’t be a highway, then just be a path, if you can’t be the sun, be a star; it is not by size that you win or fail – be the best at all you are! Obviously, this poem spoke to me because I took the time to write it down on a notice board and hang it somewhere where I hope to see it often.

As a society, we can pass fairly critical judgment on the status of others and the work they do. We seem to hold people who earn higher incomes with more esteem than those who earn lower wages. Because of these stigmas, people sometimes feel that what they do is unimportant or of no value to others. You can tell that when you ask someone what they’re doing and they start with “I’m just…” That sense of inferiority is often fueled by comments made by others who don’t want it. they are hurtful but do not understand. impact. For example, recently, when the discussion of raising wages was debated on social media, many people referred to fast food jobs as “just flipping burgers” as if this job had no value. My intention is not to open a debate about who deserves a higher pay, but simply to state that every job has value and that everyone who does that job should be appreciated and respected for the job they do. .

I’m talking about it now because October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. There are two schools of thought in this area and I dispute both. First, it is often assumed that because a person has special needs, they can only do certain jobs that do not require as many skills; and second, that people with special needs deserve better jobs than those in which they are often relegated. I think people with special needs who have jobs try to do their best no matter what it is and instead of classifying jobs as ‘better’ or ‘worse’ we should appreciate the fact that every Work is valuable, so everyone who does that work is valuable regardless of their abilities or the type of work.

I shop at Macey’s grocery store in Spanish Fork every week. While this isn’t a take on Macey’s and there are several reasons I shop there, one of the things I love most about Macey’s is that there are always people with disabilities out there. working. They have various roles such as bringing carts, bagging groceries, storing shelves or checkout; however, these roles are not delegated to them because of their disability, as they also have non-disabled people doing the same jobs. Each role contributes to the efficiency of the store, which improves its ability to satisfy customers. They seem very happy in their work and appreciated by their colleagues for their contribution. While performing their specific task, they don’t seem to question their value or contribution. I only use the Macey’s example because it is one that I experience often. There are many other employers who have also created a culture of diversity, inclusion and camaraderie.

Whatever your abilities and whatever you do for a living, be proud of it. It might not be your long term career goal, but when you do, as the poem says, “do your best”. Someone who goes to work everyday and shops with a smile and takes care to make sure nothing gets broken isn’t ‘just’ a bagger unless he adds’ I’m just the fastest, most efficient and friendliest bagger in the bagging industry. “

Bulletin

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