It Is Nationality That Matters… No More: The Employment Paradox of the XXI Century: To Work or Not to Work

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The Most Delicate and the Strongest Ties Between Work and Identity

Things are changing incredibly fast in the present-day world. What used to be the common knowledge several years before is now becoming outdated, and new theories rule the world. In the course of cultural fusions that have swept the world due to the globalization process, old-time stereotypes are being rapidly replaced by new ones, and the most intriguing one of these stereotypes is the idea of “footloose jobs.”

On the one hand, the idea of making certain professions accessible not only for the representatives of a certain nationality, gender, beliefs or any other feature, seems quite legitimate. Making the professions available for the people of other social layer can affect the people formerly employed in the given position, which can resolve in a considerable conflict.

It is really hard to pin down the exact problem in the given case. Indeed, the idea of globalization which is currently going on does presuppose that a great chunk of stereotypes, whether they concern the gender, or the nationality issues, are going to vanish without a trace.

As far as the national issues go, however, the idea of setting the commonly known fixed jobs footloose is worth a serious reconsideration, for it can spawn not only serious objections from the representatives ethnicity in question and cause massive influx of the unemployment rates among the latter, but also undermine the customers’ trust towards the services, since, related to a certain nationality, some services can be considered unprofessional when done by other ethnicities.

The Quick Guide to the Work Stereotype and How to Fight It: This Is My Kind of Job

It goes without saying that national stereotypes in work can easily create the most unfavorable environment for the person whom the issue concerns at best; at worst, national stereotype in the workplace can easily ruin one’s career.

The given rule, however, can be applied to those taking places instead of the traditional employees. For instance, in case the person who offers certain services does not correspond to the traditional image which people have formed about the representative of the given services, the former will simply not be trusted and probably lose the clientele.

The given problem not only runs nationwide, but also touches upon the integrity of certain professions. It seems that the boundary between different professions has also been somewhat blurred. For instance, according to what Ham, Clark, Spurgeon, Dickinson and Armit discovered, “While some continued to see themselves as first and foremost doctors who were also chief executives, others described themselves as ‘a general manager first and a doctor second’” (Ham, Clark, Spurgeon, Dickinson and Armit).

Despite the fact that the given phenomenon does have positive effects: “some interviewees felt their identity had been enhanced because they were able to bridge the worlds of management and medicine” (Ham, Clark, Spurgeon, Dickinson and Armit), it is still mostly disturbing: “A number of interviewees acknowledged there had been a sense of loss when they moved into full-time leadership roles” (Ham, Clark, Spurgeon, Dickinson and Armit).

The Fixed and the Footloose Dilemma: The War for the Right to Work Goes Worldwide

However, it is also necessary to consider the opponents’ point of view. One must admit that, when it comes to fixed jobs, the people of other nationalities perform just as good as the “traditional” employees. Indeed, if the “traditional” beholders of a certain position can learn the required skills, the “newcomers” can master the given skills just as easily. Thus, there are practically no reasons to believe that the change in both the footloose and the fixed jobs employment has any effect on the overall company performance.

In addition, it is worth keeping in mind that the refusal to accept the people of different national or any other type of background can fall under the category of discrimination, which is quite undesirable: “Whether an employee or job applicant’s ancestry is Mexican, Ukrainian, Filipino, Arab, American Indian, or any other nationality, he or she is entitled to the same employment opportunities as anyone else” (Types of Prohibited Discrimination).

The Final Battle Begins: Whether Job Stereotypes Serve Any Meaningful Purpose

Considering most of the job stereotypes that make people relate a certain job to a specific nationality, gender or social stratum, one must admit that there actually is some rhyme and reason to believe that jobs do make a part of people’s identity. Moreover, a job can also stand on its own merit as a marker of one’s identity, thus, stressing the specific traits of a certain person and even outlining the features of his/her character. As Fryers explains,

A profession or trade gives us an identity – as a doctor, a teacher, an engineer, a motor mechanic, a secretary, an electrician, and so on. A particular job, independent of profession or trade, may give us an identity – as a consultant, a manager, a director, a foreman, a work-team leader. (Fryer)

Indeed, it seems that a profession demands certain characteristics that not every single person can possess; therefore, not anyone can handle a certain profession, but only a person with a certain set of skills and character traits. For instance, only cool-blooded people can become surgeons to perform surgeries without their hands shaking in the crucial moment.

Since certain features of character can be considered as a characteristic of a whole nation (such as the Germans’ being reserved, the Italians being very talkative, etc.). On the one hand, it is essential that the employed possesses the required qualities. On the other hand, equal opportunities must be provided for everyone. Hence the conflict arises.

Breaking the Stereotypes as the Hardest Work Ever: Fixed Jobs Are Only in Our Heads

Despite the fact that the idea of footloose jobs is still in the air and that more people are apt to think that footloose jobs can be a great alternative to the stereotyped nationality- or gender-related jobs like a French Chef or a woman working as a secretary, there are still sufficient reasons to suspect that the time-tested approach to professional stratification according to one’s belonging to a certain nationality or religious confession, or to gender, still has sufficient grounds to base on.

Nevertheless, it cannot be doubted that the idea of footloose jobs is rather innovative and can be considered as a mini-revolution within the global society. Still, it seems that at present, it is better not to focus on establishing footloose approach to employment and let it take its own course. Once the approach proves successful, it will integrate within the social structure soon; otherwise, it will become obvious that the game is not worth the candles.

Works Cited

Types of Prohibited Discrimination. 1964. Web.

Fryers, Tom. “Work, Identity and Health”. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health. 2.12 (2006): n. pag.

Ham, Chris, John Clark, Peter Spurgeon, Helen Dickinson and Kirsten Armit “Doctors who become chief executives in the NHS: from keen amateurs to skilled professionals”. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 104.3 (2011): 113-119.

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