by Chauncey Kenton

Created on: September 08, 2008   Last Updated: October 08, 2010

Salaried workers in this country are being squeezed out of their white collars and ties by a declining economy. Our manufacturing base has eroded, leaving lower paying service jobs in their wake, and fewer higher paying jobs are being created to lift the standard of living. Throw in outsourcing, automation, and baby boomers staying in the workforce longer - and you have the recipe for a perfect storm, which you are witnessing today.

White collar workers are victims in so many ways. They are forced to compete with an ever-expanding pool of workers to get their foot in the door, and once inside the door, they are victims of upper management and the board of directors, who want to squeeze as much work out of them as they can for a salaried position. Vacation time and sick time have declined from years ago, and forget that pension that your father had - in its place you get a lousy 401K which the company might match with their funds to your contributions, but only if they have a profitable year and meet certain benchmarks. Those rules are written in such a way as to ensure that matching funds won't be available to you this year - so sorry about your luck!

It used to be that the board of directors only approved big bonuses for executives who were leading the way, carving a new niche in the marketplace with their company, and making money the old-fashioned way, by creating a product that the consumer couldn't live without. Big profits meant big salaries and nice dividends to the stockholders. But these day, CEOs get big bucks just for taking up space and wearing the latest designer suits. The company's performance doesn't seem to matter as long as the CEO looks good on camera, and can swing a golf club on cue!

So you work your little fingers to the bone - arriving early, not taking a lunch, and you work till 6 or 7 each night to prove to your boss that you are a dedicated and loyal employee. What do you get in return? At evaluation time, you receive notification that your raise will be smaller than you expected, and that bonus you thought you were getting? Well, you see, the rules have changed this year, and now, it's only employees who have been there 10 years, who stay late to play Dungeons and Dragons, and who have dogs that weigh less than 15 pounds that receive a bonus this year. Maybe next year, pal - but then again, next year bonuses might go only to cat lovers and heavy consumers of Vienna sausages. The rules are constantly changing, who knew?

You get the

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