Unemployment
Jul. 29th, 2005 09:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sobriqueI've been thinking recently, about unemployment.
I've reached the conclusion that it's a disease.
You see, when I was off work for a while, with a bit of a broken leg, I caught a taste of it.
You sit there, with nothing really to do. And so you don't really kick your brain into gear. And you feel useless.
It's a downward spiral - you start to feel unwanted because you're useless, and as a result have more difficulty in finding a new job.
Because you're feeling that you couldn't live up to their criteria, there's not point in applying because you won't get it, and even if you do, you'll botch it at interview anyway. That's something of a self-fulfilling prophecy - an interview isn't about whether you can do the job, it's about whether you'll fit in with their team, and are at least marginally capable of being brought up to speed. But with all such things, if you go in expecting to fail, then you will.
Thankfully, I had a job to return to. So the feelings of being 'pathetic and helpless' were mitigated somewhat, never the less I felt a suprising amount of 'concern' when I was due to return to work. How much the worse could this be if one were off long term?
So I propose a solution. Unemployment benefit, as it stands, has a purpose to support someone whilst they're out of work for a while. That's reasonable and commendable.
I'm well aware though, that there's "professionally unemployed" who eke a living by screwing the benefits system. That to my mind, is a terrible thing to happen to a society. It makes those that do it effectively parasites - unemployed, unemployable, and ostracised from the community as a result.
What if, instead of long term benefits claim, the state would agree to support you in return for your labour. Scrap housing benefit, scrap handouts, but give _everyone_ the right to accomodation, food and training, in return for them doing ... well, whatever needed doing at the time.
Maybe even start a 'boot camp' style of retraining program. Intensive training, effectively isolating, breaking and retraining.
It won't be 100% successful, because there's alway those that would rather not, and that will make excuses.
The key point would be to instill a sense of self worth. Once you can get someone to take pride in what they do, and who they are, then the road to becoming an active contributing member of the community is clear and easy. It's just finding it in the first place that's somewhat tough.
I've reached the conclusion that it's a disease.
You see, when I was off work for a while, with a bit of a broken leg, I caught a taste of it.
You sit there, with nothing really to do. And so you don't really kick your brain into gear. And you feel useless.
It's a downward spiral - you start to feel unwanted because you're useless, and as a result have more difficulty in finding a new job.
Because you're feeling that you couldn't live up to their criteria, there's not point in applying because you won't get it, and even if you do, you'll botch it at interview anyway. That's something of a self-fulfilling prophecy - an interview isn't about whether you can do the job, it's about whether you'll fit in with their team, and are at least marginally capable of being brought up to speed. But with all such things, if you go in expecting to fail, then you will.
Thankfully, I had a job to return to. So the feelings of being 'pathetic and helpless' were mitigated somewhat, never the less I felt a suprising amount of 'concern' when I was due to return to work. How much the worse could this be if one were off long term?
So I propose a solution. Unemployment benefit, as it stands, has a purpose to support someone whilst they're out of work for a while. That's reasonable and commendable.
I'm well aware though, that there's "professionally unemployed" who eke a living by screwing the benefits system. That to my mind, is a terrible thing to happen to a society. It makes those that do it effectively parasites - unemployed, unemployable, and ostracised from the community as a result.
What if, instead of long term benefits claim, the state would agree to support you in return for your labour. Scrap housing benefit, scrap handouts, but give _everyone_ the right to accomodation, food and training, in return for them doing ... well, whatever needed doing at the time.
Maybe even start a 'boot camp' style of retraining program. Intensive training, effectively isolating, breaking and retraining.
It won't be 100% successful, because there's alway those that would rather not, and that will make excuses.
The key point would be to instill a sense of self worth. Once you can get someone to take pride in what they do, and who they are, then the road to becoming an active contributing member of the community is clear and easy. It's just finding it in the first place that's somewhat tough.
