Brad is a
46 year old male who works at a fibre optics plant. He has been
employed with the company for 14 years, and his total income (before
taxes) is $43,500.
He enjoys
working with the company, and has formed a number of friendships
with his co-workers. However, lately it seems as though things
are changing so fast at work. Over the past two years, he has
been working longer hours and juggling multiple responsibilities.
Everyone at the plant has been working full tilt, yet the company
is not hiring any new people.
Although Brad
has more seniority than many of his co-workers, he is not sure
that his own job is so secure, especially since the entire high
tech sector has been losing money over the past couple of years.
As a result, he is feeling less able to say 'no' to overtime and
extra work assignments. He used to be able to talk about work
issues with his supervisor, but she has also had to take on additional
responsibilities (the company cut back on middle management last
year) and is not as approachable as she used to be.
The extra
hours at work wouldn't be so bad if he didn't have to worry about
his parents. His father was recently hospitalized with a stroke,
and he could really use some time off to help his mother sort
things out. But he's afraid that he may be putting his job in
jeopardy if he asks for a leave of absence or extra time off work.
On top of everything else, the company where his wife works just
announced layoffs.
Lately Brad
feels as though he's caught up in a never-ending struggle. He
is trying to do the best he can to do a good job at work and to
support his family, but he is not sure if he's succeeding at either.
