Employee Self-Respect

"50/50 tickets – half the proceeds go to the Alzheimer's Society and the other half go to pay for our holiday party." "No, thanks," I said. "But it's a good cause," pressured the woman. "But I won't get a tax receipt," I quipped, "and I am not going to the Christmas party." "But it's a good cause," repeated the woman. "I'm not disagreeing with you," I replied, "will you accept a donation, in exchange for tax receipt? … I didn't think so."

It's not a co-incidence that corporations choose charities that have a direct impact on the lives of you and your co-workers – it's to entice you. In case you don't feel that you are working hard enough, the company is now trying to get you to volunteer more of your time and give away your underfunded salary.

Giving is a good thing; volunteering is a great thing. But I challenge you to consider who you are enriching with your generosity.  Keep in mind outrageous CEO bonuses in comparison to the number of employees that you work with who have not had a raise in more than five years.

The most notoriously clever corporations are like car dealerships: you buy a new car and they offer trade in value for your old car, and they get you coming and going. They sell you a car at an inflated profit margin, and buy your old car far below its actual value. We, as employees and consumers need to be very conscious of what constitutes a bad deal and minimize such participation.

We need to open our eyes and see through the games. We should not be paying for the Christmas party. We should not be going above and beyond for a company that is determined to do the employment standards minimum. We definitely should not be leveraging the corporate brand through their community relations initiatives.

Give back to the community, volunteer. Give of yourself, your time and your money to your own choice of great causes. Think like a CEO: give and get your own tax benefit. Give and enrich your own life and your own brand through volunteer work that is meaningful to you.