Workers of the world unite. Our eldest son, a mere 20.5 years old, has been working for over five years at the same Office. He has gone from volunteer, to official intern, to paid part-time employee, while attending university part-time. The system suits him well, as English is not his first language, he grasps the academic university topics with more ease than if he were attending full-time. Plus, the office mirrors his interests and gives him important experience in an aspect of his intended field.

Win-win.

However, as low man on the office totem pole, the rest of the staff load him with everything from accounting to answering phones, customer service to video editing and designing spread sheets. Whenever there’s a week-long holiday of the Christian or Jewish persuasion, the entire office clears out, everyone celebrating everyone else’s holiday, while he’s left to hold down the fort. It doesn’t faze him in the least.

The more he works, the more pay he receives. For a college student, it’s heady stuff.

Anyhow, Petya rarely takes his lunch hour or even a 5-minute bathroom break. At some point, you have to wonder if they’re taking advantage of him. He ends up doing everybody’s work for them. But with none of the recognition.

The dynamic must change.

After five years of ever-increasing responsibilities and repeated last-minute dumping of time-sensitive projects on his Desk, the young man has started speaking up for himself. It’s worked fairly well. Now, all of his projects must be transmitted through a gatekeeper who monitors to ensure that it’s not a dozen coworkers all wanting a piece of him at the same time.

So I’m encouraging him to up the ante. My latest: we’re getting him a name plate for his desk, lol. Along with his own “title”. All of this in a rather laissez-faire, though at times high-powered, office.

“Are you in?” I ask if he wants to draw attention to his accomplishments.

“Lol – sure. But Mama, nobody in our office has a desk nameplate…” he wonders aloud.

“That’s why you’ll be the first,” I congratulate him.

Cue up conspiratorial chuckling….

This should be interesting.

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