Blog #7

I work at the Campus Recreation Center in the heart of the University of Cincinnati campus. As I was reading the essay about Taylorism and the Service Sector I began realizing just how manipulative my employers are in using certain techniques to make me a "better worker". My job is the same day in and day out. I stand at a desk (no sitting) and take member's rec cards and swipe them through the computer. Every member that approaches the desk, I am to say, "Hello, How are you?" I usually get no response and even in which case I still must say, "Thank you" or "Have a good work out". Why do I thank them? I have no clue...

I cannot say I recieve any abuse from the managers/superiors. I do recieve a lot of abuse and rude comments from the members of the rec center. If they come up "inactive" I am to explain to them they are not aloud in the rec center because they have not paid to be here. This never ends up good. The non-member usually gets angry or frusterated and begins to take their inelegibility out on me, when I really had nothing to do with why they are not aloud in the rec center. I want to tell them, "Don't shoot the messenger".

Since I have had this job, I am much more empathetic towards everyone and anyone having a job in the Service Sector, especially to those who are friendly to me. This repetitive, unsatisfying, and stressful job has caused me to dread going to work. I agree with the author of these essays in that I feel no sense of accomplishment after my shift at work. I did not complete anything and I will not complete anything on my next shift here. Just the same simple tasks shift in and shift out.