BRAVO to the writers who commented about climbing the social ladder. Obviously, it is a touchy subject, but some have learned to assuage the effect it can have on one's work life by approaching it with humor. And, when nothing can be done to change the reality of a situation, humor is our best weapon!

I would like to assess the situation more seriously, however, in this dissertation. Not because I don't appreciate "buck-buck" and all its wonderful implications, but because, if we have a "real" job we face real problems from within this scenario.

Some of us are dedicated workers. When we signed on at our jobs, we went through training, absorbed the company's "Mission Statement," policies and business approach and, we applied ourselves full-heartedly to the "task at hand." We are those who hold ourselves to a personal standard that says we will "do our very best." Sadly, our efforts often go unnoticed because of the "squeaky wheels" who are consistently expressing dissatisfaction, or using their "personality" (not their job performance), to gain recognition.

Sigh. Although we have ideas and opinions that might improve things for all our co-workers, (or and idea that might improve the company image, etc), our reflections are oftentimes dismissed. They require "too much effort," (and, they are sometimes misunderstood as "discontent" rather than constructive offerings).

So, how does someone who has an honest work ethic get noticed in this world of social climbers?

I believe the first and foremost rule is to never give up. On many occasions, I have, (when approaching a supervisor about an obvious "glitch" in the company's rating system), gotten nothing more than a simple explanation concerning "why" the method had been devised. The person responding obviously took their job seriously and was doing his/her best to "stand behind" company policies, (believing, most likely, that the company knew what they were doing).

But, companies are run by people. Fallible people. Their intent is most-often purea need to document the productivity of their staff. But far too often, their methods can place many of their crew at a disadvantage. One example of this occurred at a call center I was employed at. Among the assessment tools they used to determine an employee's contribution, (and thus, the amount of their raise), was a category called "Team Playing." I am not the only agent who was affected negatively by my score in this category. The first

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