Mediocrity Opinion by John Lesaca Manila Times

[Lee]

Good read.

 

Quote

 

WITH only good intentions in mind, my wife's caregiver asked me one time if I still needed a cook and a driver. When I said yes, she said she knew of someone in her hometown looking for work as a stay-in family driver. I asked her to link me up with the person, so she sent him a mobile phone message. After some time, she got a reply, which she relayed to me.

The applicant wanted to know how much the pay was, and would there be overtime pay?

I told her that I changed my mind and I was not interested to talk to him.

I am flabbergasted by this attitude. In my book, an applicant for whatever job must first show credentials and try his best to convince his prospective employer that he is the right person for the job. Instead, he asks about the pay first before anything else.

This tells me something valuable. First, he is in it only for the money. He probably disregards traffic rules and drives like those crazy food delivery riders. He signals that he does not care for the welfare of his passengers, which means he would also not maintain the car properly. And since he expects overtime pay, then he cannot be a stay-in family driver. This means I will be wasting time and money giving him free food, accommodation and other benefits.

I projected what his qualifications would be like: driving experience less than three years driving a public utility vehicle. Very little knowledge about cars, possibly minimal with automatic transmission. No familiarity with Metro Manila's roads. Does not know how to read maps and does not have navigation tools like Google Maps. Sleeps early, wakes up later than his boss. Bad driving habits. Will not do daily car maintenance checks like water in the radiator, fluids for brakes, steering, transmission, oil levels, tire pressures, etc.

To make things easier and more efficient, I developed a questionnaire to determine driver qualifications, abilities and attitudes. This would serve as the prerequisite to a personal interview, in which I would be able to determine his basic personality, character, demeanor, level of education and communication skills, and sense of hygiene, as well as relaying to him my preferred driving habits.

Only after answering the questions correctly would I be convinced that he is suited for the job. Then I shall proceed to talk about salaries and benefits.

He never got past his text message.

What gives with these types of people? No matter how hard I try to understand them, no matter how many times I tell myself that they have less in life and need to support their families, I don't get the glaring contradiction: they want to work, but on their own terms and conditions.

It really isn't what it used to be.

As a young girl, my wife had a yaya, about 10 years older than her. This yaya worked for my wife's family until her parents passed on, and the yaya has worked for my wife since then.

She was the hardest-working person I have ever met, with high standards of cleanliness, caring and professional ethics, yet she did not finish her elementary school education. She lived up to the great trust placed on her. Nothing could go wrong, from food handling, to serving, to handling money and caring for my wife. She traveled a lot with my wife's family and learned to speak impeccable Spanish, the family's conversational language.

My wife retired her before the coronavirus pandemic, her age becoming more tender each year. She still gets a monthly stipend and she doesn't have to spend for food, accommodation and medical expenses. This is the least that my wife could do for her.

Today's potential home-based workers fall light years short of her standards.

It seems that, generations after my wife's yaya's, workers seem to confuse success with dreams, when the simple secret is in attaining it through dedication, hard work and passion.

But most have the illusion that there are shortcuts to a successful life. Maybe this has been brought about by social media. You know, the ads that pop in, frustrating your video, where the speaker says it's very easy to make tons of money, not by working hard but by using modern concepts and practical business practices and applications. You don't have to work for a big company, you can be your own boss, and all the clichés.

In the first place, the speaker had seed money already, which the viewers (usually those looking for jobs) do not have. Secondly, they certainly cannot establish a good professional reputation by showing an arrogant attitude. They do not even know what discipline is all about.

Hey, all I ask is that they love their work.

 

Mediocrity (msn.com)

 

 

[baronapart]

How dare they not want to live their lives in semi-slavery. I'm sure the yaya had dreams of her own but spent her life being passed down to the employer's family.  Of course we know the reality for the poor in the Philippines. They do what they must. That doesn't mean it has to continue in perpetuity like some of the more fortunate in the Philippines would like it to.

Edited April 27 by baronapart

[Jack Peterson]

7 minutes ago, baronapart said:

That doesn't mean it has to continue in perpetuity like some of the more fortunate in the Philippines would like it to.

 Whist I tend to agree with you, It is so very debatable

[OnMyWay]

I was hoping the link would have some comments from Filipinos, but nothing yet.  I think he was born with a silver spoon, in has azzz!

[Possum]

52 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

I was hoping the link would have some comments from Filipinos, but nothing yet.  I think he was born with a silver spoon, in has azzz!

Assuming he's the violinist of the same name he's admired in many circles. His mother and father were admired professors.

[Mike J]

5 hours ago, Possum said:

Assuming he's the violinist of the same name he's admired in many circles. His mother and father were admired professors.

Yes, he is the violinist.  I believe his wife is a congress woman, also the sister of former President Arroyo?  So there is no question the family is wealthy and moves in high society circles.  For me the article smacks of the "My generation would never act like/do the things the current generation does."   Just my opinion of course, as I have never met the man.

[scott h]

27 minutes ago, Mike J said:

For me the article smacks of the "My generation would never act like/do the things the current generation does." 

He is not the first one to express this opinion.....or did he just plagerize? 

[craftbeerlover]

17 hours ago, Lee said:

Good read.

 

 

this guy sounds like a fricken tool.   Not to difficult to read between the lines, he views himself above the 'lower class' and lumps them all neatly into a wastebasket, then pats himself on the back when he throws them some leftovers.  

[BrettGC]

20 hours ago, Lee said:

Good read.

Yes it is, if you want a perfect picture of how the "elite" view the those they see as beneath them in Philippine society.  

These types should take a wander around the Pasay squats or similar areas in any of the major cities for a bit of a reality check and solve those problems from their ivory towers.

[Cola Cubes]

I am in complete agreement with him when he says, "they want to work, but on their own terms and conditions."

The reality here is that the poorest people are surprisingly choosy about what work they will accept.

They are also very choosy about when and if they will work.  

You would think the opposite would be the case amongst the poorest, but the reality here is that in slum areas, it is actually quite hard to find somebody who wants to do some work.

I think only business owners here get to realise the extent of this problem.