Humans are the Heart of the Workforce

Why, as a species, are we working hard to eliminate ourselves from the workforce equation? The important equation that allows human beings a path to self actualize, find one's true calling, or fulfill a life's purpose. Is that why things feel off lately? Maybe it's because we're all under the sneaky suspicion that our jobs will all soon be gone, no matter what you aspire to be.

The all too familiar complaint is "no one wants to work anymore", gives us all something to ponder. Why would you? Why bust your hump, work hard to reach your goals in your career path only to watch your job disappear, replaced a a bleep and a whir. All that you stood for, the differences you made, on your team, in your company, in your industry and the world are reduced to a mechanical arm or a synthetic brain. According to Zippia, The Career Expert, 25% of American jobs are highly susceptible to automation. So your fears are founded, and why wouldn't we feel unappreciated or threatened.

I have fond memories of one of my first jobs in retail at JCPenney. Working as a sales clerk taught me so much about teamwork, responsibility, commitment and creative problem solving. When the store was alive with the hustle and bustle of eager shoppers, the entire store was on high alert to help out in different departments, pitch in where needed and share in the excitement of serving our clientele and watch them leave with a smile. Solving problems taught us about seeing the other person's point of view, whether we agreed with it or not. I learned so much about customer service from our store manager, who instilled that in all of us, and expected that in every department. I can't remember the last time I was in a crowded store, where it was so busy, I had to stand in line to pay. Regretfully, these days are fading fast. The days of human interaction will soon become a thing of the past. The value of that interaction doesn't only benefit the customer, it benefits the employee as he masters valuable people skills in the process. When was the last time you actually talked to a customer service representative to solve your problem? How about in-person?

When my son was of working age, I drove him down the street to the local sandwich shop and told him to go in and fill out an application. He refused. My response was, "Well then, we'll sit right here until you do." He thought I was so mean, when he finally bolted stubbornly out of the car and into the shop. He shares this story constantly as a pivotal moment in his entire career where he learned that you sometimes have to move past your fears, step out of your comfort zone to find your potential, or reach your calling. Are kids these days having similar experiences? Are they testing the waters to see what they can accomplish or feel good that someone saw that potential in you. Or are they just snapping a photo, hoping to get rich off of empty rote likes or dislikes. Are they learning the value of working together to get things done. Or are they tuning out people they don't agree with by deleting them, instead of engaging them. The skills that we are watching vanish before our very eyes are absolutely frightening. People who don't agree with you are bad, so they must be deleted. In real working environments you can't delete people, you must work with them to get things done. As noted in the book Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool, where they share that one must step out of their comfort zone in order to grow. How will we expect our children to grow and learn if there aren't any jobs left where they can actually do that?

We see it on the road, remove truck drivers and replace them with autonomous rigs. My father was a truck driver, it was a career the loved and felt quite accomplished in. We called him the human GPS, and he was so proud of all the routes he knew by heart. Proud, a feeling that can only come from accomplishing something. When he returned from the battlefield in WWII, jobs were scarce. He left high school to fight for his country, so upon returning he set out to find a way to make a decent living, and ultimately found his way to driving truck. He loved it, he loved traveling seeing the eastern seaboard, making friends all along the way. There were crazy stories, funny stories and a true sense of purpose and adventure was cultivated throughout his career. Things needed to be moved and he found pride in moving them. He took pride in being one of the most important parts of the supply chain. He worked hard to be the safest driver he could be. He was proud that he retired with a clean, safe driving record.

Everywhere you turn, you hear of someone cast to the side, forced into retirement, or just eliminated because the human aspect of that job is no longer needed. Eliminating ourselves from the workforce will remove us from society, yet humans strive to automate everything from bank tellers to healthcare...it's scary. We are actually stifling ourselves from being the best we can be, serving others, interacting and solving problems to fulfill a sense of purpose.

A sense of purpose is exactly what life is about, so why bother, if that purpose is eliminated and replaced with some machine that doesn't care, that can't grow and contribute to society. When people stop contributing to society ...well, you know what they say, if you don't get noticed for something positive, you tend to defer to the negative in order to get noticed. Removing the humans from the equation is like poking ourselves in the eye with a sharp object, it's just plain stupid.