Much awaited summer vacation

 Starting with May my friend Donny was in a frenzy, when asked what happened he said anxiously:

- I am going to Greece man, going on vacation! 

- When?

- End of August, long way still. But it's costly, I gotta save up big time. Big time. 4000 euro for me , wife and little one, can you imagine? They are ripping us off. 

- Why so expensive? I said. It's not wise. Don't tell me you're going with that turd c-sucker Mititica again? He's an idiot but a high-cost idiot, you should say no and go somewhere you can afford.

- No dude, I'm commited, already said I'm going, I need to cut expenses and save the money. 2000 euros upfront and 2000 euros to spend there, it's an expensive place you know.

- I can imagine , still it will be a dry and tough summer and let's be honest you liked to spend.

- I know, it will be horror, all work and no fun...

- But there is still a good thing in this, if you can make it maybe you will get the habit of spending and start spending for you as well, to invest and not to splurge on vacations. 

- Yeah sure dude ...

And it was indeed a long and dry summer for him. One week worth of expensive vacation can cause several months of gritting the teeth and working hard with little spending. 

Work harder resource!

 Yesterday Danny was really down, after work we met at the pub and ordered beers. He was quite pale and tired and looked like he came out of an asylum or something.

- Seb, the patron has really gone nuts today, I am working my behind off, juggling lots of customers, answering calls at 7 AM in the morning and such but he's really mad.

- How come?

- Not enough money I generate he says. He says I am lazy, I slack, I don't pull my own weight and I don't cover even my salary let alone bring him much-needed profit. He wants to dump a few more customers on my head and I am already burnt out.

- That's tough I said, since I came back to the evil corporation I am working pretty moderately, there are some peak times but nothing to complain about.

- Yeah , what can I do? I really try my best.

- Sounds like a management problem, maybe he's not charging enough or his products are crappy.

- They are indeed but we are supposed to sell them. But what can he do? He can't fire me, he needs me.

- Hahahaha, I said almost dropping the beer glass, you are fooling yourself. Every wageslave is replaceable, he just needs one more desperate than you willing to work harder, take more whipping and give up on free time , maybe even for a lower wage.

- You think so?

- Yes, sadly the only chance is to suck it until you find something better, or maybe settle for a lower pay with less stress and work...

- But the house, the mortgage, the car, little Audi? I have a lot of costs.

- It stinks I know, got to reduce them, save some money. Otherwise you will end up like that p.o.s  wageslave Vasile, a loud-mouth bragger who was lazy and arrogant, got his ass kicked from the company. He only resisted so much because he was kissing behinds left and right. 

- Mkay, I will have to look out maybe there's an opportunity out there in the job market.

- You do that otherwise the patron is gonna keep making your life harder, after all he wants an ever increasing profit. But in the meantime cheer up, vacation is coming!

Inflation, inflation, hyperinflation everywhere!

 What's a resource going to do when all prices rise sharply? Spend less, consume less and hope the wage and job last enough...

 I was out for shopping at a hypermarket and I met Danny, he was carrying a small basket with a few products:

- Seb this is crazy, everything is double in price, everything .. I just took several small items and the price is already close to 100 EUR.

- It's tough, prices going crazy everywhere, war in Ukraine raises them even more like there is any sh*t actually made in Ukraine ... 

- Yes man, this is bogus. They are keeping us poor on purpose. I just had a raise this year and now in real value I can actually buy less with the increased salary than I bought last year... 

- Forget about it, I am just in a hurry to finish shopping until they are raising the prices as we speak...

Suddenly Danny's face went pale and he said : You're right, make a run for it! And he went quickly to the cashier to pay for the products.

Pandemics hit!

 That day the boss arrived at the office even later than usual, he looked annoyed and stressed. He walked a bit around his desk and finally opened his laptop.

 Me and Chris were already digging through emails quietly for several hours , now we knew that our quiet was gone. We still pretended we didn't notice a thing.

 Bursting with anxiety the boss finally talked:

- Covid is spreading, is spreading like crazy! They can't contain it, it's off ! It's off I tell you!

He panicked and navigated to a news site, the prime minister should make a statement, it's a crisys.

Next to me Chris felt somehow reliefed, for the first time in many weeks he didn't have to stare in the boss's shoes resting on his desk half a meter from his face. He nodded and said:

- I hear they recommend working from home...

- It's madness the boss yelled, they say the economy will shut down, they talk of quarantine and locking people in their appartaments! If it gets worse I am thinking to go to a mountain cabin, I will be safe there...

I couldn't help smile seeing the cowardice displayed by the same guy who used to show off as being distant and relaxed all the time, he was a mess :))

- Pack a lot of cans, food for a year, move up the mountain with the family, stay there with no contact... he mumbled on and on ...

I smiled again and went for a coffee. When I was back there was an emergency commitee lined up near his desk all agreeing we should work from home starting immediately. I packed and went home, all good! 

Poor resources get paycut

 The boss was angry that week. Day after day he went back and forth through the office trying to look for a solution. Money stopped pouring in, more and more customers cut their work and projects so he needed to find a way to stop the losses.

He could of course run and seek new customers, pitch, sell as the desperate competitors were doing and found some success. But this boss wasn't going to do that, he found it humiliating ech time he had to go and make a sale. He even tried to hire a sales man but to no avail, new customers were nowhere to be seen.

So one day he had a "brilliant" idea: I am gonna cut all the wages. Resources will get a 25% cut while managers will get 30% cut since we have triple their wages or more. 

He summoned the entire workforce and proudly stated his plan. There was an unhappy mood in the crowd or resources but they couldn't fight it, it was take it or leave it and some of them would be laid off anyway.

I have saved the company the boss happily said and went off to his hobbies after lunch, he spent 3-4 hours working that day so he thought he deserved some rest and relaxation. The resources went back to working, they had another 6 hours minimum left.

🙈🙉🙊

Work more, work harder just woooork!

The manager was angry even as the workers were taking seats in the meeting room. He nervously scrutinized the room and the audience. He took a moment to try to calm his nerves and started talking:
- It doesn't work anymore! Yes, you have heard me, it doesn't work anymore! The competition is cheaper now, they offer the same services at rates we can not afford! You can not afford! We can't have such big wages with so low margins...

Next to me Dave whispered in my year: What big wages? Who's he talking to? I said nothing trying not to laugh out loud.

The boss continued to talk louder and louder until he was almost shouting:
- You need to deliver value! You need to offer consultancy to the customers! You heard me? Con-sul-tan-cy! No be stupid low value copy pasters, not be simple operators, you must help the customer grow, provide huge value, become their partner!!!!

He kept on and on for a few minutes more and then dismissed us from the meeting. I replied to Dave: Move resource, let's go create some value!

Resource wants to buy a house

Every now and then there comes a time in the life of a resource to move to a bigger house. Generally this happens when the resource's family grows, usually with the birth of the first or second child.

Faced with the need to move resources start assesing their opportunities. Depending on their luck the real-estate market can be low or high, rarely do resources wait and expect a price fall. More than that there is usually a gap between what they want and what they can afford as resources tend to earn to little money and save very few to none.

Let's be honest here, each of us wants a nice house with large rooms, storage areas, a nice backyard to relax, parking space in a quiet area with good infrastructure, nice neighbours, good schools and kindergardens and ... wait a minute, all these come with additional cost. And when finally adding up expenses and looking into our wallets and accounts we are considerably short of money. We sigh and we hope for a market fall.

Resources with kids

There comes a time in the life of every resource when it needs to consider the future labor generation of the systems. Sure, you can work a resource its entire life but at some point (later and later nowadays) it will retire and live on a minimum pension unable to work. So the system is very careful to encourage child birth as to prepare its next generation of hard-working resources.

When Danny told me his wife was pregnant I was really happy for him. They were trying for some years with lots of effort so finally they succeeded. I was even more shocked on the news that my wife become pregnant a few months later too, so we will get to follow Danny and his wife and experience parenthood.

 Now as a rebel resource that I am I discussed with my wife to have the birth in a state hospital with a state doctor, all expenses covered by the mandatory health insurance we are all forced to pay as part of a salary. I wanted to do nothing with the private hospitals, extremely expensive here and outside of a better accomdation and comfort (true) with sometimes questionable doctors.

Danny on the other hand wanted to do nothing with the state hospitals and was determined to take his wife to such a private hospital. Unfortunately he didn't afford all the costs and commissions especially since his kid needed some extra medical procedures afterwards and sunk into some significant debt (a few months pay). Happily his kid is healthy and jolly but pursuing the private healthcare going forward will continue to sink him lower and lower into debt assuming he can pay the current one.

My wife had a lovely kid in the state owner hospital, it costed us very little and she had very good care and confort. We decided to enroll the baby in the care of a state doctor pediatrician as well to reduce cost. That gave me hope for Christmas and the New Year, hope I can continue to save and invest my money and gain financial independence for me and my family.

And since this is a Christian holiday I dis the SJWs and politically correct idiots with their Xmas and holidays and wish you all: Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Still employed still unsafe

Well the Corporation is still doing bad though I left as well as other countless resources, shot in the beack of their head and left to struggle in the agony of unemployment. I was lucky to get a job soon and managed to keep intact my leave pay and invest it in stocks but other colleagues such as Gabe stayed more than half an year jobless and ate all the compensation money while going into debt too.

I was happy seeing he got a job finally but a bit disheartened that he learned nothing from this experience. He still does not save and spends recklessly. And if him who went twice through being fired doesn't learn what hope of financial education is there for others?

A job is not safe, being resource is not safe, being at the mercy and whims of a boss is not safe nor pleaseant. Working you behaind off until you're 65 to get a measly pension is the way the System tells you once you're an old fart that it made a fool out of you all your life and you actually happily accepted. So earn, save, invest, buy assets that bring you passive income and free yourself more and more from the salary. Because tomorrow it might not be there!

Back on the work fields

Well to be honest it didn't take that long, just about two to three months, over 250 applications and more than 10 interviews to get a job. An agency working for the Corporation hired me. I knew them, they kind of knew me so they got me a job. Not a big salary but quite decent conditions so I went along.

It felt nice to have a vacation so long but as a resource I knew I had to get back on board the working train. So I went there to meet the new boss whom we'll call El Padron on simply El P. Good thing is I was back to work in the same place as my old friend Danny boy, an old friend from the Corporation. So I started my long work season in a posh business area in the city. To be followed...

Wonderful job position, great salary!

So as an unemployed resource I had more free time than I had in years, actually I didn't feel like that since college but I can't say I could benefit since I had to spent much of it searching for jobs and going to interviews. A resource is of course dependent on its salary so a resource can't survive too much without it. A resource out of the job is like a fish out of the water.

So finally I found a good offer, a wonderful job position they said, a great salary included at a big company. I applied and after two weeks they called me for an interview. It was a big company so the HR lady told me on the phone there will be several interview stages.

The day came and I was in her desk awaiting her to finish a phonecall and make time for the interview. She was mid-aged but very elegant, top notch designer clothers. She was yelling about some reports being due so I took it as a sign she means business for the resources working under her management. At last she put the phone down and changed her attitude 180 degrees putting an ice smile and inviting me to sit down.

- I have read your resume she said, it matches what we expect of a resource for this position but I need to be honest with you, we only care for the best of the best. And not in terms of skills, they can be taught but in terms of dedication for this Company to serve it to the fullest of their ability. Maybe in other places the work starts at 9:00 and ends at 18:00 but here nobody leaves before 19:00. And that's if you have done all your work. Weekends are sometimes easier but we expect our resources to work during them if needed, of course these days they can leave at 16:00 maybe even earlier.

I was surprised at the fast pace of her words so I didn't realize she stopped to see how I was reacting.

Bye bye corporation , hello job search

Needless to say Dave was shocked by my sacking. Probably not so much as the act itself but seeing me similar to himself that was probably the first time he seriously considered how easy it would be to sack him as well. He hesitated a bit but seeing me calm and joyful he approached.

- Hello from the afterlife! I can say I'm probably the newest unemployed unless the hot blonde manager already fired the next resource. That's probably her best day on the job, a firing gang-bang. Boy did she look pleased, I think she must have had the best day of her sex life despite the drama she was forced to play in looking sad to let me go.

- I would have never thought they could fire you ... said Dave still taken aback by the news.

- Why not? I mean it's not like they didn't fire lots of resources every year, why should I be different?

- Yes but the certifications and hard work you put, and working closely with the top executives during these past few months...

- They don't mean shit my friend, I said clam, look, I have been in this Corporation for close to ten years and even with the measly pay increases my slalary is probably high compared to the averegae of these low-class resources busting their backs. So they cut the cost by sending me away, probably they will hire a poor smuck to do the same job in a worse way but for half my pay or even less.

- So what are you gonna do now?

I smiled and said: I'm gonna leave for home early today! And all days until my last day in the office.

Hot blonde shooter

Well as you can read in my previous email I have received a nice invitation to join the local center manager, the hot blonde and my manager via phonecall in the council meeting room to discuss about a matter very important for my future. No joke, this is how they called it in the sentence email.

So finally the fateful day and hour came and I entered the council room. Without any surprise I saw the hot blonde grinning next to the fancy HR diva so my mind flew to a three-some again.

- Come in, come in resource! said the hot blonde manager with a sweet voice to disquise her joy, take a seat, we have your manager on the line.

I took a sit with the calm of the prosecuted villain sitting on the electrical chair. Immediately the manager started a long, pitiful, sorry monologue about how bad the Corporation is doing, how tough are the market conditions and how sorry they are they need to let go valuable resources including myself. To show their appreciation however they would throw in some small compensation to help the victim manage the transition to the next job.

But there was a catch, the offer had to be accepted and signed that day otherwise I would be fired with no compensation. Hearing that I thought I heared the hot blonde moan with satisfaction and I couldn't help thinking if firing resources made her climax.

Not having an alternative and seeing the next resource victim ready to enter the room to be shoot I signed the paper and left. Back to my office I took a long look at the desk and rooms I have been working for close to ten years and phoned Dave:

- Hi, you have a call from the other world. The freshiest ghost arround would like to haunt you in the yard for a coffee.

Shot in the head resource

Well there comes a time in the work life of each resource where you get shot in the head. The Corporation launched wave after wave of so-called "workforce reduction programs"lining up thousands and thounsands of resources and shooting them with the firing squad of HR executioners asking them to resign on the spot.

It is said that when you are fired the entire professional life flashes before your eyes but I didn't feel that. Maybe I was prepared for a longtime for this moment. Like a small servant in the court of the ancient tyrant you cand expect that sword to go down on your neck at any time. All I could do is hope this gets delayed and prepare mentally.

The day before getting shot in the head I received a very strange email from my boss inviting me in a meeting with the local center manager, the hot blonde I told you about. Since my manager was located remotely I quickly threw away the thought of a three-some action in the council room so I was pretty sure I was facing the bullet. Time to say goodbye old champ!

I immediately called Dave and told him about this. His initial reaction was no way, how could this be? It shouldn't have been uncoincevaible for him as we both saw many good folks getting slaughtered year after year but now my name was on the list ...

- Listen Dave, it's clear as daylight. They had no reason to summon in the meeting with the hot blonde and my manager over the phone unless they have the gun ready and the bullet with my name on it.
- Maybe they'll promote you said Dave without being convinced.
- Yeah sure, promote me with a big kick in the rear to make the resource disappear.

To arrive shortly - Get rich, get free

Well folks now that I have more free time I have decided to write an ebook - "Get rich, get free"  based on my experience and financial education taken in the past years. I plan to sell it very cheap at first to see how it works so be on the lookout. :) Maybe I got what it takes to be the next great financial education besteller-writer or maybe I get to help some people to get their personal finances straight. Wish me luck! :)

The rotten apples

As most resources really struggle each day with the work volume, closely monitored to ensure there is no sclacking at the job there are some rotten apples who really enjoy their work as a resource. Mainly because these resources don't do anything all day. They do their best to avoid work and sadly some suceed.

Of course these rotten apples are carefully disguising their do-nothing routine, they appear always busy, always on the move so no one can really see what they are actually doing, always a bit annoyed as to show they are really as exhausted and overloaded as the usual resource is. They also tend to get involved in very visible projects but make sure they don't commit to doing any of the work, they just want to step up front and take as much credit as they can.

Every now and then a smarter supervisor or boss will notice the rotten apple and crop it back to work but it's never easy. These do-nothing rotten resources are always arguing, yelling, lying in the face that they're bringing precious value to the team and company.

Colleagues of such a rotten apple know best how hard is their life, browsing the net all day, checking fashion sites, planning their third holiday that year although it's just June. Because such resources have a single goal in life, to avoid work and spend everything they have partying. They are ocassionaly kicked in their asses by the bosses only to shake up and resume doing nothing. Even with their butts kicked on a regular basis is hard to make the rotten apple leave the job. They will hang to it as hard as they can threatining with legal action, shouting, making a mess. Until a brave or not-caring boss will finally throw them off the door with a big deserved foot up their asses.
                  

Don't forget to consume resource!

There was silence in the meeting room. Then the manager suddenly started to talk with a serious voice:
- The Corporation isn't doing that good folks, you should know. There are tough times, we don't sell enough, the market is contracting, the prices can't grow. Profit is smaller and smaller by the year. You know how that make us feel in front of our trusted and honorable shareholders?

It was a rhetorical question perhaps but anyway no one dared speak up so the manager continued:
- So we all must make sacrifices you know. No raises, no bonus, no nothing for the next year. Just tremendous work to help the Corporation grow and achieve the success it deserves. You know why the profit is so low? Why the sales so few?

Again a rhetorical question maybe, again no reply. The manager yelled the response:
- Because the frickin' resources don't buy that much anymore. That's the problem. This society is built to work your assess off, pay lousy salaries and you are expected to give us back those money by purchasing our goods at high prices. And be happy and proud of it. Proud you can afford it. Ashamed if you can't afford. Look at you neighbour Jones, he bought himself a new car. Yours is already three years old, you should be ashamed to look in his eyes. Buy a new car and face the music. You can't afford it? Go to the bank and get a frickin' loan.

The manager stopped and looked angrily in the crowd:
- Do you even understand this? No matter you are not getting more raises and bonuses, you simply don't frickin' spend enough! Now get to work resources!

Resource performance evaluation

- Come in, come in... take a seat! the boss said visibly bored.
I entered the room and sat on the chair accross his desk. He let me wait for a minute or so checking his emails annoyed and then said:
- So you know why you're here right? It's the end of the year and I need to evaluate your performace, what you brought for the Corporation during these twelve months and repay you according to your work. So Seb I have to say you were pretty ok, you did your work, not exceeding the targets though and you could show some more gratitude to the Corporation...

I had nothing to say, I barely coped with the volume of work he threw my way, when to take the time to volunteer for some projects and go the extra mile. And I was always so tired and demotivated but of course that was the normal condition for a resource in the Corporation.

- But our great leaders are kind and rewarding the boss said, just yesterday the Corporation Board, our more beloved collegues who take care of us and guide us towards success encouraged us to give a little to the working man, to the humble resource who makes everything work.

He paused again awaiting gratitude but I was as blank as a statue so visibly angry he continued.
- Altough I think they are far too kind when they need to put some more burden on the resources I will give you a 0.4% raise this year as well as a week salary as premium. Spend it wisely.

- Is that all? I asked really bored trying to put a fake cynical smile.
- No no, the boss said, I also want to wish you Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas resources, take a good rest while you can because the new year will be tougher!

Do the job resource!

That's how she put it, plain and forward. I stopped a moment to take a better picture of our new big boss of the local office. She was 35 maybe 40 at least, blonde, slim and quite attractive. The kind of woman who could use all her assets to quickly climb on the corporate ladder. She was the kind of boss who woked depending on one of the moods she was in that day: normal, bad and worse.

So I was there on the interim job dealing with tasks that were by no means in my job role until they got to hire a poor bastard to work him all day.

- Don't worry she said, I'll make sure you only get the critical tasks, I know you're temporary and still a bit busy with your job responsabilities.

By a bit busy she meant I was already doing overtime and working my butt off. And I suspected these limited very critical tasks would add up quickly. I expressed my concerns politey and saw the sexy blonde making a displeased figure, clearly she was there to pass the orders not to talk the through.
Very annoyed she finally said to contact her if I get overwhelmed and let me know the "audience" is over. The blonde princess shouldn't be disturbed any longer.

I left and met Dave for lunch, he was almost sleeping on the table. Another long tiring weekend with the kids, he barely slept a couple of hours. He saw me and asked if I had a couple of bucks until the paycheck. I gave him a few, I was pretty broke as well.

- Hurry up resource I said with a bitter smile while he starting eating, work is waiting!
- I know he said, I have been doing it for the past 10 years and I still have 30 years to do the job going forward...

Overtime work for the resources

For the last two months I stayed at the office overtime almost daily. Lots of work, lots of expectations. The Corporation is going through critical moments they said. We all know what that meant. Fiscal year was coming to an end and the profits weren't good enough. Not good enough to satisfy the shareholders, ulta-rich jokers rotting in their luxury yahts, on exotic beaches and premium cars. And we were busting our butts to bring them those extra few dollars per stock to keep them happy.

- How are you Seb? said Dave with a tired look. How was the week? Happy Friday.

Same old joke, resources waiting for a little break in the weekend. Saw it every week, each Friday they fol themselves, acting all happy, wishing desperately to believe they are happy only to get a 48 hours break from their chains, only to return on Monday morning looking like zombies, ready to get worked hard for another week. Some younger folks were genuinely happy, too young and stupid to realize what they're in.

- Surving Dave, just surving I said with a low voice sipping my coffee.
- What are you planning for the weekend?
- Nothing, recovering on sleep. Not in the mood for much else lately.
- Eh me neither... They're workig us like animals.
- Don't take it personally I said, they got to turn a profit not don't they?

Paulie was approaching us, he worked in a nearby bank. Quit the Corporation a couple of years ago and moved from place to place for a few dollars more. He got it bad in a couple of places, worked till he dropped, yelled at, made resposible for all trouble. Now he made it a bank paying one of the highest sallaries in the country for a resource but he was looking unhappier and older as ever. They worked him really good for those dollars. He was always complaining about money though, me and Dave were always wondering what he did with his pay.