Stable work, what is it? How has security changed after the Covid-19 crisis

STABLE WORK - Which jobs do we usually consider secure? Checco Zalone’s films tell it in a fun and effective way, but it is clear that most of the media society has been rooted in values that respond to the keywords of "trade union protection", "fixed position", "permanent contract", "citizenship income", "unemployment benefits" and so on... I wonder whether all these objectives that many of us have committed ourselves to seeking and achieving in years of work are indeed values to be striven for in order to achieve greater security.

A "stable work" is no longer the same after the Covid

I had been asking myself these questions for a long time, but they became more persistent after this world pandemic that completely changed the economy and its rules! I’m sure that many of you will feel hurt in their pride by reading these words, But what kind of life can we actually expect by insisting on linking ourselves to a work system that we basically complain about every day and that weighs heavily on our country’s finances? After all, do we want to be right or do we want to be happy? I leave the question open and it is clear that only a few of you will want to read these harsh words and stop reflecting on the situation that we are trying to describe in respect of everyone and not meaning to offend anyone.

Aspiring to a fixed-term employment generates unhappiness and insecurity!

Even out of the pandemic condition, let’s think about what kind of life we would like if instead of focusing on finding the job we like and create satisfaction, we would be striving to achieve a "permanent employment"? How many people do we know who, every morning (perfectly Fantozzi style), set their alarm early at the same time and drag themselves laboriously into a job they constantly complain about?

I don’t know about you, but I see a multitude of unhappy, apathetic people running in the "hamster wheel" making themselves immune to the concept of happiness. And for what? A small handful of hundreds of euros a month? Is this what we call security? A modest wage that maybe doesn’t even allow to bear an unexpected expense?

"Yes, but if the company goes bankrupt or you get fired the state pays you unemployment". That’s great, and in what percentage of these salaries? And for how long? And in the meantime, what skills would we have developed to make ourselves more attractive to start a new job? The ability to endure the same days, between all the same people who do not let themselves realize their dreams? Some are even afraid to express their desires and don’t even know they have a will! Is this really what we call "security"?

Covid crisis changes the concept of stable work

In our state, since the crisis began, companies have been able to use the "covid redundancy fund" and have been obliged not to lay off employees. This has led to virtually no economic consequences for almost all of the employees hired "permanently". Without thinking that, while there has been a significant reduction in the income of salaried workers forced to take advantage of the redundancy fund, on the other hand these people are not leaving their house and are not spending thanks to the lockdown. So, paradoxically, these workers find themselves having saved more than in previous years.

Suppose that only half of these companies are actually in crisis: have you ever wondered what will happen once the pandemic is over and the redundancies are unblocked? Probably most of these workers will be dismissed for the simple reason that companies that do not close will have to make very difficult choices to rationalize costs in order to be able to restart.

And so I ask myself: where is job security protected by national employment contracts? Do you really believe that temporary unemployment benefit is really the answer to the need for security? And if there will be fewer companies, leaner activities, more automated processes, especially in the digital age, how long will it take before one of these former workers can occupy a "fixed position" with the same privileges as the previous job? Maybe we should start by asking ourselves "why should they choose us"?

So what do we do to get stable work?

What can we do then? I personally made some choices: I chose to set up another independent activity in a moment of economic instability. This is because I believe each of us should be the sailor of his own boat, and nobody should have a life based on aid and third-party protections.

Furthermore, each of us is free to undertake (or continue) his own path, but for those who mean to consider a different way of creating security for himself and his family, I have three pieces of advice. The first one is to focus on their life goal: where do we want to be in 10 years? Is it with our family in a bigger house and with more time for ourselves?

The second one is to invest in education. None of us was born a master, in order to gain more we have to be more, therefore it is crucial to pursue self-growth objectives everyday.

The last advice simply is open your mind and think out of the box. Once our goal is clear and we work for it, the rest will follow. And it will take us to fulfill ourselves.To learn more about the state aid, click here