August 17, 2008

Outsourcing!

Is it just me or is everyone else also getting so freaking annoyed with outsourcing jobs?  I was so angry trying to resolve a disputed bill....first there is the very annoying automated system, press one for this, press 2 for that, press 3 (that's when your nerves are shot)...then finally a live speaking person on the line....but then you immediately detect the thick accent and know that you are talking to someone overseas which infuriates me knowing that people in our country are denied jobs because of this.  Plus, you can't understand these foreigners and they can't understand you which becomes a frustrating ordeal and the outcome is usually unresolved and you have to demand to speak to a Supervisor from the U.S.

 

Shifting jobs to lower-wage countries--a form of what is known as offshore outsourcing--is an increasingly popular practice among U.S. businesses seeking to cut operating costs. Outsourcing has also become political shorthand for presidential candidates to describe what is perceived as unfair international trade and its costs for U.S. workers.

 

While some jobs may get sent overseas or be automated by machines, certain tasks will most likely always be handled by by human beings. 

There will always be a need for Teachers because there will always be a need for education; therefore, we need people to do the educating. Scientists are needed to dedicate their lives to the cause and effects of our actions and our environments to deal with changes. 

 

Gone are the heydays of horse and buggy and wheelwrights (the maker of wheels), but an element of those jobs live on in one form or another.  With advanced technology and science, so come changes in jobs.  But, as I walked out of my doctor’s office one day to chat with the Nurses at their station and pay the bill, I realized that there are certainly a lot of occupations that will stand the test of time and have staying power and will never disappear.

 

In the doctor’s office, I observed the doctors caring for their patients and couldn't help but notice how much they are needed  to investigate and treat our medical conditions since we still have a mortality rate, and we still get bumped, bruised and diseased along the way....so their professions are everlasting.

 

Then driving home, I observed a police car that was behind me through my rear view mirror and again realized another profession that is everlasting and that is the Law Enforcement Officer.  If we are dependent upon a system that governs, we will also be dependant upon people to enforce the rules of that system.

 

Then I thought of the 30 plus years I worked in the legal field....yes...we need Lawyers.  The legal system affects nearly every aspect of our society, from buying a home to crossing the street.  Lawyers form the backbone of this vital system, linking it to society in numerous ways.  For that reason they hold positions of great responsibility and are obligated to adhere to strict code of ethics. 

 

And, Lawyers cannot function without their Legal Secretaries that perform highly specialized work requiring knowledge of technical terminology and procedures.  Oh my, all those Summonses, Complaints, Motions, Responses and Subpoenas!  You can’t do that from India or China!

  

Then I got comfortable in front of my TV to watch the News.....the subject of Soldiers came on.....Even if world peace were in reality, there would still be a fear of future wars based on history.....a very important everlasting profession.

 

Barbers and Hairdressers.....why are these professions everlasting?  Just ask any woman.........as for men...they just want to look neatly groomed with a good haircut....women on the other hand require more than just grooming....we need to look beautiful with highlights, lowlights, perms, precision cuts, hair color etc.  Again, a definite everlasting profession, right ladies?

 

Then I was channel surfing with my clicker and on came some Religious Leader......again my mind wandered and thought of the people that continue to ponder the meaning of their own existence, a majority find a need for people to assist them with a form of spiritual guidance.

 

Wow, I couldn't stop my mind from thinking about all the everlasting professions that still require a human to perform and not an automated system or machine and a profession that can't be outsourced.....No wonder I can't sleep at night...I can't turn my mind off and relax!

 

What profession do feel is everlasting and cannot be replaced by being outsourced?  Did outsourcing affect your job?

17 comments:

  1. I work at a power plant, and the staff at these facilities cannot be outsourced.

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  2. I don't believe outsourcing will be stopped until the government starts giving tax incentives to manufaucturers for hiring American workers and/or making it illegal to outsource, like all the other countries do.

    I would like to see the media outsourced because most of the media here have their heads firmly buried in the asses of those who bring the highest ratings (i.e. advertising income). The art of journalism is at an all time low.

    Jimmy

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  3. well said... I can identify with the anguish of the telephone prompts... nothing more aggravating... and like you said.. on the other end someone you can't even understand... I think they should have to push buttons that say if "to speak English" press 1..... have a good week...enjoy your day.
    Kelly~

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  4. O i KNOW those phones from outsourcing  it and the foreigners drive me nuts   i hate going thru the "press" buttons and then speaking to a foreigner who i can't understand, and is usually rude, demanding and just plain not cooperative   i pray they make outsourcing illegal one day   it's costing US americans too much....i also pray that the U.S. Mail carriers last forever   there's something about the mail woman or mail man coming to your door that personalizes (of course i'm biased, i'm a retired mail carrier...lol)~kbear

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  5. I hate talking on the phone to some customer service rep from another country.  I think India is the worst!  
    Missie

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  6. Hi Rose,

    I agree, there is nothing as annoying as our inability to speak witha person.  Palma

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  7. Right now, I am working on a newborn's quilt. Yes, you can go to the store and buy a machine-made  baby quilt from China. But there is nothing like a handmade quilt, sewn with love.
    Last Friday, Mark went to pick up the Challah for Supper. Sure, there are bread making machines, but they can never replace the goodies that comes from a bakery or from mummie's oven.
    Laini

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  8. I am in agreement with you.  As a former legal secretary myself I so understand the paper trail!!  I hate outsourcing because all they are doing is looking at a computer screen without all the details....hands on is always the way to go!  Start at the source not the outsource! for there will be the real information.  Computers won't put out fires or stop a burglar on foot; nor will they cut our hair properly or paint our nails.  Thank GOD for the working public!!
    Have a great week!!
    Sharon

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  9. Totally agree with your comments Rose~ I DO NOT want to push 1 for English, I want to push nothing and hold waiting for someone to answer my call and speak ENGLISH without such a heavy accent that they cannot be understood. How many people have you spoken to that say, "This is John or Mary" in India? It's outrageous and just plain silly.

    It's sad that this great Country of ours has people living at the poverty level and our Government condemns other nations for not taking care of their own. Start at home Washington!

    Okay, down off my sopabox, I will not even get started how our social security is given away now ~ will I?

    Love alli.  

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  10. It is the same over here and has been for years.  But even if you are not talking to someone overseas it is the same. Press 1 for this etc. you do that then get another load of questions and another number to press.  I tear my hair out sometimes.  As for jobs that will always be essential and will never disappear  - undertakers.  The dead will always have to be taken care of in one way or another.
    Great entry.

    http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/JeannettesJottings/

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  11. P.S. I used to be a legal secretary.

    http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/JeannettesJottings/

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  12. Just stopping by to say thank you for the congrats.  I enjoyed  your journal and will be back again.  A job that cannot be outsourced???  being a mom.  
    'On Ya' - ma
    http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/GoodMorningSunshine/a

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  13. Good entry Rose.  The reason for outsourcing and job cuts is a nasty poison called MSV = Maximizing Shareholder Value.  Many corporations put that on the top of the pile, underneath product and service, customers and labor.  By raising prices and cutting costs they can make the stock more atractive for investors, hence more money in the pocket.  Foreign labor is cheaper.  Temp workers don't require insurance, vacations and sick days.  Collective bargaining just gets in the way.

    And some of the jobs you mention will be done outside.  Having worked for a large corporate law firm for a while I saw that it was usual for the attorneys to write the documents and then send them to Hong Kong to by finished.  The secretary in China had the same knowledge as the one in New York but was paid a lot less.

    Witht the increased improvements in video techonolgy, robotics and satellite communications patients will be diagnosed, prescribed for and even operated on by physicians in another part of the world.  I know it sounds like Star Trek, but it is in our future.

    And you probably won't be followed by a police car but by a sattelite camera.

                                                                             DB

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  14. I understand the reasons for outsourcing but that doesn't make me
    like it .  Whenever I have a problem with my Dell computer I have
    to mentaly get myself ready to deal with the people in India.
    Janice

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  15. Hi Rose!

    I came over to thank you for the congratulations left on my journal. I had NO idea that I was a Guest Editor's Pick!!!! Imagine my surprise. Thank you again and I hope to speak with you again.

    Another Rose

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  16. Hi Rose,
    Thanks so much for stopping by to leave a comment today. I was surprised to come home and discover I was one of Guest Editor Deb's picks today!
    Martha ~

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  17. It wasn't outsourcing, rather technology that effected my former job. I worked for over 14 years as a printer in a small printing business. These days people send reports via email or the internet, so they don't need a dozen copies of anything. With computers and printers so many people just use their own computers at home. It's a rare occasion to see a business still using templates and apply ink in wells by hand to print a few hundred copies of anything. The only ones who survive are the big conglomerate companies who still do wedding invitations or letterheads. These companies do it easily with printers who generate the images and work from computerized versions of what I used to do.

    As for the companies who use outsourcing for an answering service. It would be highly impossible for me to use these services with a Relay operator (my means of phoning being deaf). So it's just one more way of cutting me off at the knees. Some of these companies keep you on the phone for way too long to logically expect a relay operator to interpret for me. (Hugs)Indigo

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