What difference does your work make?

[Phoenix84]

As a spinoff of my "what do you like and not like about your job" thread, I have another question.

Many of you said "my work makes a difference." So let's have an honest assessment of how important/meaningful your job is to society/the world, and what difference does it make? If your employer decided to fire you and not have anyone replace you, what bad things, if any, would happen?

[Cookies Galore]

The work my company does leaves a mark on the country (you do want your doctor knowing what they're doing, right?) but I am completely replaceable. The place I work is celebrating its centennial next year. We're all replaceable, the work isn't.

[Deleted]

number would cease to move around the page. think of the carnage!

[NoNamePerson]

Mar 17, 2014 7:19:10 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

number would cease to move around the page. think of the carnage!

[Deleted]

I'll play. The immediate impact is that the Doctor's bills won't be paid. 

The larger impact is that the World Health Organization uses the codes to categorize diseases for morbidity and mortality reporting. We will never know when cholera is eradicated if we stop reporting the codes!!! 

[wvugurl26]

My work protects government dollars and in some cases beneficiaries from harm due to bad actors. I'm totally replaceable.

[Deleted]

Mar 17, 2014 7:39:26 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

My work protects government dollars and in some cases beneficiaries from harm due to bad actors. I'm totally replaceable.

How many people have you protected from Keanu Reeves?

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I'm totally replaceable.  Lots of PIs are going to hiring a rotation of students thru the year b/c it is cheaper than keeping on a full time technician.  So far my bosses have not felt the same.   There would be some hiccups since I know the lab inside and out but I came in knowing nothing and survived, so would somebody else.

As far as what difference my work makes our research helps to further the understanding of drug therapy/monitoring.  This helps pharmacists and physicians better formulat drug dosing instructions to prevent possible overdosing or potential underdosing of a patient.

[giramomma]

I help folks get master degrees in STEM fields. I think that makes a difference.

I also work with kids. I got a very nice letter from one of my former students thanking me for being her cheerleader and believing in her and her abilities. I've gotten nice notes from parents thanking me for being a big sister in their daughter's lives.

I am completely replaceable in my job in higher ed.

Teaching, not so much. To be able to connect with kids that aren't your own, to earn their trust (particularly when life teaches them otherwise) , to contribute to their personal growth, and to be able to teach them a skill, that is a gift that not everyone has. 

[cael]

My job protects the public and helps people. Mostly no one likes us (I'm a health inspector), but we expect it and just do our jobs anyway. No one notices when we do our job and prevent dozens of people from getting sick from a foodborne illness outbreak - they'd notice if we *didn't* do our jobs and that outbreak did happen. (interesting side note - we had an outbreak a few summers ago that was due to a restaurant worker having a pet lizard at home and bringing salmonella to work as an asymptomatic carrier. Sucked but was very interesting and the restaurant owner went above and beyond to do what he could to fix things.)

Even though we mostly deal with people unhappy to see us or unhappy about something else, we sometimes get props for what we do. Went to a hoarders peer group meeting over the summer with my direct supervisor, and several people came up to thank him/us for giving them the resources to help themselves get their problems under control. The work we do with people like that really has a direct impact on their quality of life.

Also on top of restaurants and housing code enforcement, some other things we do that people probably don't realize: we permit and inspect summer camps for kids, pools, swimming beaches, tanning salons, septic haulers, inspect for lead paint, get trash and problem properties cleaned up, and more I'm forgetting. The summer camps are especially important because we're the ones responsible for making sure they have appropriate staff-camper ratios, safety training and/or equipment, we ensure all the staff have CORIs/SORIs done, making sure staff and campers have medical records and required vaccinations, etc. Always find out if your kids' camps are licensed by your local health department, I don't know how other states do it but in MA they all should be!

Anyway, we protect the public's health, whether you like the gubmint regulating stuff or not.

[Otto the Orange]

It would be the end of the world as we know it.......................

[genericname]

cael - thanks for protecting us! I happen to think health inspectors are important people. There are a lot of unseen cogs in the wheels of our society that keep it running smoothly.

I am totally replaceable. My job is meticulously documented for the court, so anyone in my job series could come in and take my cases over tomorrow.

What I do protects my local community from criminals. I do all crime, but I get the most satisfaction from putting child molesters in jail. As far as bad guys, they are some of the worst in my book. I may not be burning the world down through global innovation, but I'm making a difference in the lives of children, perhaps being the only one who has ever taken some of their complaints seriously. Maybe I can save just one from a life of endless futility, and that makes it all worth it. The HQ BS, the paperwork, the long hours, etc. All of it pales in comparison to watching a chimo go away for life without parole.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

cael - thanks for protecting us! I happen to think health inspectors are important people.



Some of the stories DH told me about his workplace made my hair curl.  "Companies will regulate themselves just fine" is absolute BS.  They'd cut all sorts of corners to save a buck. They hated DH b/c he actually did his job rather than look the other way.

[sheilaincali]

We build highways. If we didn't do it one of a dozen of our competitors would do it. Necessary for infrastructure and repairs to roads and highways. Complain about road construction all you want but trust me- in the long run the annoyance is worth it.

Myself- eh- I do the payroll and accounting work primarily. It would take a while to replace me because there are a lot of odd part of my job that would be difficult to explain to people. If you go back to my working here in High School I have like 20 years of knowledge base and history to my credit. The actual accounting work would be easy for someone to pick up but it's all the other crap I deal with all day that would confuse people.

Plus- I work with a bunch of computer illiterate and lazy people.  I'm the only one in the building that can open the safe, reprogram the phone system, log into the server, fix paper jams in the copier, etc.  I know everyone's system password and have been training them in on the new accounting software. 

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

I am absolutely, totally, replaceable.

But, without folks like me, a lot of men would be walking around in mismatched, worn, threadbare 30 year old clothes.  The rest would be naked.  Or wearing the latest trends without regard to whether it is appropriate for their body type or station in life.

So, I make the world a nicer place to live in.  

[Otto the Orange]

beerwench--- you won't like it when the world ends................

[Deleted]

Meh, I've had a nice run. 

[cael]

Haha. Thanks for the support guys! Most decent restaurant owners are conscientious, but there are so many people out there who just don't care and like to cut corners. We don't have any big plants or anything we do here (I'm a municipal inspector, not state) but my boss has told us some stories from when he worked for the state and did some plants (your husband worked for a meat company or something, Drama?)

Well, we do have the sewage processing plant. We have to go inside to inspect sludge haulers sometimes.... omg. The only thing that has ever made me come close to puking is the smell inside that plant, doesn't even compare to the worst hoarder.

[sheilaincali]

Mar 17, 2014 8:43:33 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

cael - thanks for protecting us! I happen to think health inspectors are important people.



Some of the stories DH told me about his workplace made my hair curl.  "Companies will regulate themselves just fine" is absolute BS.  They'd cut all sorts of corners to save a buck. They hated DH b/c he actually did his job rather than look the other way.

DH work for an engineering firm doing materials and environmental testing.  The contractors feel the same way about him.  He is forever having to scold them for not using vertical rebar in their foundations and walls, making them follow through with soil remediation because they contaminated the soil, etc.  The project owners love him but more than one contractor will sigh loudly when they see DH pull up.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

but my boss has told us some stories from when he worked for the state and did some plants (your husband worked for a meat company or something, Drama?)

Correct.  Almost made me want to buy a farm to produce our own meat.

[sarcasticgirl]

I am the only person within the company that does my job. It is a job that absolutely must be done. It is BS to me that I'm the only one that does it. The head honchos assume I'm easily replaceable... my supervisor and coworkers disagree. When I am out, 3 people work together to cover my position. I always come back to a big pile of questions and mistakes to clean up 

I work for one of the largest law firms in the world... so i would assume somewhere in the midst of it all, they are making a difference in the world (good and bad, depending on how you look at it and what you look at) 

[teen persuasion]

I'm replaceable, but if the board voted to not replace me, there would be no children's librarian for two towns and two villages. The schools are cutting librarians as it is. Literacy would suffer in my area - there would be no preschool story hours, no summer reading programs, no youth drama club or classic horror program.  If I wasn't replaced, library hours would probably be cut, as well, most likely evenings and weekends.  I also tend toward handling the tech support - answering patron questions on accessing/ using newer e-devices and services, and solving computer issues.

And the library's website, FB and pinterest accounts would languish.

[Pants]

Mar 17, 2014 8:22:52 GMT -5 cael said:

My job protects the public and helps people. Mostly no one likes us (I'm a health inspector), but we expect it and just do our jobs anyway. No one notices when we do our job and prevent dozens of people from getting sick from a foodborne illness outbreak - they'd notice if we *didn't* do our jobs and that outbreak did happen. (interesting side note - we had an outbreak a few summers ago that was due to a restaurant worker having a pet lizard at home and bringing salmonella to work as an asymptomatic carrier. Sucked but was very interesting and the restaurant owner went above and beyond to do what he could to fix things.)

Even though we mostly deal with people unhappy to see us or unhappy about something else, we sometimes get props for what we do. Went to a hoarders peer group meeting over the summer with my direct supervisor, and several people came up to thank him/us for giving them the resources to help themselves get their problems under control. The work we do with people like that really has a direct impact on their quality of life.

Also on top of restaurants and housing code enforcement, some other things we do that people probably don't realize: we permit and inspect summer camps for kids, pools, swimming beaches, tanning salons, septic haulers, inspect for lead paint, get trash and problem properties cleaned up, and more I'm forgetting. The summer camps are especially important because we're the ones responsible for making sure they have appropriate staff-camper ratios, safety training and/or equipment, we ensure all the staff have CORIs/SORIs done, making sure staff and campers have medical records and required vaccinations, etc. Always find out if your kids' camps are licensed by your local health department, I don't know how other states do it but in MA they all should be!

Anyway, we protect the public's health, whether you like the gubmint regulating stuff or not.

I like you. Seriously, I'm a fan of health inspection.

[Sam_2.0]

No one would answer customer complaints that escalate up to the state agencies or executives or media. So if my job went away & they didn't replace it, no one would have an outlet to b*tch. And the 5% of legitimate complaints wouldn't get resolution, or would have to continue to go through Customer Service until they found a sympathetic ear willing to help.

[muttleynfelix]

Only about 30% of my projects make a difference. The rest just help make developers money.   But that 30% prevent people's homes from flooding or improve stormwater facilities on roadways to provide safe passage during flood conditions.  Yes there are other people who could do my job ... just not as well as me.

[Deleted]

I can't be replaced, outsourced, or automated.

[Jake 48]

Public safety (FD), so yes we make a difference when your having an emergency. we also provide education to your school age children, elderly and will work with you to stay safe in your home or business. The nice thing is when we come across the questionable sanitary conditions in restaurants or unsafe living conditions due to shitbag landlords or elderly/child abuse, we get to call Cael and other angencies and effect change. There is a line waiting for my job. 

On another note if DW gets tired of orchestrating my wardrobe, GRG sounds like my go to, just need your location

[Regis]

Mar 17, 2014 8:47:29 GMT -5 sheilaincali said:

Mar 17, 2014 8:43:33 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

cael - thanks for protecting us! I happen to think health inspectors are important people.



Some of the stories DH told me about his workplace made my hair curl.  "Companies will regulate themselves just fine" is absolute BS.  They'd cut all sorts of corners to save a buck. They hated DH b/c he actually did his job rather than look the other way.

DH work for an engineering firm doing materials and environmental testing.  The contractors feel the same way about him.  He is forever having to scold them for not using vertical rebar in their foundations and walls, making them follow through with soil remediation because they contaminated the soil, etc.  The project owners love him but more than one contractor will sigh loudly when they see DH pull up.

Rebar is overrated.     We are currently working on a project with one of only two unreinforced arch bridges in our state.  It was built during WW2 and steel was pretty much all being used for military purposes so this bridge was built with absolutely no steel in it.  It has never been rehabbed and is still in good condition after 70 years.

[sheilaincali]

Regis-  Hush now- my rebar supplier, who we spend over $1million a year with would beg to differ .  He is pretty free with the swag though- he has season tickets to a couple of professional sports teams and frequently gives us free tickets.  I don't care for sports but free tickets and free tickets.  

[cael]

Mar 17, 2014 10:39:52 GMT -5 Jake 48 said:

Public safety (FD), so yes we make a difference when your having an emergency. we also provide education to your school age children, elderly and will work with you to stay safe in your home or business. The nice thing is when we come across the questionable sanitary conditions in restaurants or unsafe living conditions due to shitbag landlords or elderly/child abuse, we get to call Cael and other angencies and effect change. There is a line waiting for my job. 

On another note if DW gets tired of orchestrating my wardrobe, GRG sounds like my go to, just need your location

We have a really good relationship with several cops, our building and fire departments and we make a great team in dealing with issues like that! We also have a group (us, PD, fire) that gets together with our council on aging and rounds up all the police reports involving elders to identify who may need intervention or assistance.

In our experience, PD has a tendency to dramatize poor conditions something wicked! They come out of a place gagging and we go in and don't find anything we'd even make a face at. Fire isn't as bad though, Jake! lol.