The Nature of Work

 Yesterday a friend posted a tale of woe on his blog and his social media.  The friend’s son is a young man in his 20’s.  The son is also severely cognitively impaired. The young man is employable, and found work through various social services agencies designed to help individuals with his disability. Yesterday the father posted that the son’s hours were being cut from 16 hours per week to 4 hours per week, and the son’s was therefore in need of a new opportunity, “preferably in an office environment”.

And when I read that, I groaned.  The odds of him finding an office job … There's a reason his hours are being cut …

When I first started working, back in the 80’s and 90’s, support staff — secretaries, typists, file clerks, messengers — were the most important people in the office.  My profession is document-intensive, and a veritable platoon of people were required to keep the paperwork organized and accessible.  Incoming mail had to be opened, sorted and delivered to my desk. Outgoing mail had to be printed, placed in an envelope, and either delivered to the post office or sent via messenger.  Documents were retained in file folders and/or redwells; someone had to file papers and keep track of the folders and redwells in cabinets in the file room. My secretary would type my document either from my handwritten notes or from dictation, I’d edit and she would incorporate my changes into the document.  When I was in a litigation office I’d send a clerk to the courthouse to file documents. It was a huge deal when we got a fax machine …

Now?  Almost everything is done via my laptop.  I write and edit documents, read and send email, maintain electronic files rather than paper ones.  We have some staff members who will print and mail a letter if hard copy is required, and who will scan documents into the file if we receive them as hard copy.  I do a lot less traveling and frequently meet via Zoom instead.  I can do my job anywhere, I choose to go into my office once or twice a week.  

So many people work remotely now, they never go to the office.  And even offices where employees do not work remotely no longer need a lot of support staff. 

So while I’m hoping the young man can find other work, I’m fairly certain he won’t find it in a business office …