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Andria
We have all heard of or seen the pyramid that Maslow created, that shows us how we must meet our needs to be fulfilled and happy. The pyramid graph shows us that we need to meet our basic needs before we can effectively meet our higher needs. Simply put, we need to have food, water, shelter etc., before we can accomplish higher needs such as love, respect, and self-actualization. I have been fortunate for most of my life and my needs have been met all the way to the top of the pyramid. Like most people in the world, I had taken that for granted. My life was turned upside down when the economy went through a major downturn and we suffered a series of expensive repairs to our home. The problem was made worse when my husband was laid off and he was unable to find comparable employment.
What happened within a few months was we went from enjoying life at the top of the pyramid, to worrying about the possibility of losing everything and not being able to meet even our basic needs. We were behind on our house payment, car payment and even the electric company was calling wanting their money.
I let fear take hold of my mind. I was worried that we would become homeless and that fear spurred me to apply for a different position at the company I worked for.
I have worked for the same company for nearly thirty years. I have been toying with the idea of applying for an office job for some time. It may have been my worry about our finances that tipped the scales toward applying for the job, but I finally decided that I wanted to, or maybe it was, needed to move up within the company.
I have worked in most positions within the factory, and I have always received positive reviews from my supervisors. I worked hard to earn those positive reviews, and I have never had to, or wanted to, flirt with any of my supervisors. After twenty-eight years of working for this company, I decided that I want to work in the office and be part of something more than putting part A into part B.
One reason I wanted to move into an office job is that the office position pays significantly more than the jobs I have held working on the factory floor. Part of my motivation to secure the higher paying job is because my husband, Jim, has been laid off due to the downturn in the economy.
The job I have my eye on is to be the personal assistant to the owner/manager. In that position, I hope I can make a positive difference for the company and for my coworkers. The position is usually given to an attractive young woman, but I hope my years of experience and knowledge of the company, will work in my favor. I have noticed, over the years, that several women have been given the job, as the owner’s personal assistant, but they did not last long. There are always rumors that the woman left because her husband thought [KK1.1]she was having an affair with someone at work or some other outrageous speculation. I am careful to ignore the rumor mill. My job is very important to me; if I were to lose my job, it would be devastating for my husband and me. The fact that the new position pays roughly twice as much as I have been earning, allows me to take a certain level of risk. When the opening was posted, I applied. I expected that their decision would be a quick yes or no, but instead, someone scheduled me for three separate interviews.
The first interview was in front of a panel of managers. The questions were typical interview questions. I had worked under each of the managers, so they knew my work ethic, and I easily moved to the second interview. The second interview was with the owner himself. He explained that he wanted to be sure that I would be a team player. I feel that he must be a family man because he asked a lot of questions to be sure that if we had to go out of town, it would not create problems for me at home. I appreciated his concern; I think he will be a great boss.
He asked a couple of questions that amounted to asking me if I was one of those whiney women who would go to HR if he were to say or do something inappropriate during a meeting or when he had been drinking. I had to chuckle because after years of working on the factory floor, I
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