Since the election of Kevin Rudd’s ALP led government and the recent discussions about the links between Kevin and other influential people like Glyn Davis (Vice Chancellor of Melbourne University), we are told that these tail-end baby-boomers have a formidable work ethic. They relish 7am meetings and drive those around them to also put in similar long hours and be tireless in their enthusiasm to better strategise and govern.
Answering emails at all hours of the day, these gods of intellectualism and influence, have got to where they are through sheer hard work and constant networking. Imagine them having hobbies, let alone family time or quiet moments of reflection? Rarely.
Perhaps such feats of endurance and energy console the masses below, allowing us to feel confident that we’ve elected leaders made of the right metal and that those bright sparks are going to make sure the country doesn’t go to the dogs.
Perhaps.
But would we envy being the partner, parent, son, daughter or colleague of such work demons? We haven’t heard this side of the story, but then we never really do.
And then there’s the call to Australia’s “best and brightest” to come together to share ideas on April 19 and 20 about where they think Australia should be by 2020, and what the roadmap will be to get there.
Second tier intellectuals could be feeling the pinch about now. Do they come up to scratch? Perhaps our young intellectuals of generation X, already ensconced in lower to middle levels of private and public sectors, in our universities, corporations, non-profits and government policy units, often juggling young families and already working long hours, just need to do a bit more.
But this is not about mere quantity over quality of work. Perhaps they just need to be more enthusiastic and less discouraged by structural impediments and more determined to “network”.
What of the “work-life balance” we started to hear a lot about from our human resource and ethics departments in the late 1990s? What are Kevin Rudd’s opinions on this? Is it no more than an ineffectual catchphrase sprinkled through our policy and corporate documents like a necessary condiment to make the simple carbohydrate seem more palatable?
Many of us have long suspected such a ruse, which tells us a lot about why such principles have never been taken up in this country with anywhere near as much enthusiasm as they have in many Scandinavian nations.
Which takes us to childcare. Kevin has just announced the government’s intention to overhaul 0-5 year old childcare into a one stop shop called a Parent and Child Care Centre, which will incorporate health, community services and education for our young ones, thus freeing up the potential of their parents to really contribute something useful to this country – their intellectual labours.
Once such a scheme is in place (let’s hope sooner rather than later), those younger second tier best and brightest will be able to really develop their potential by working longer hours with more enthusiasm, confident that their children are happy, safe and adequately stimulated.
Kevin tells us it’s your choice whether you take advantage of such facilities - sure you can choose to be a stay-at-home parent. But with our best and brightest and the constant reverence to their formidable work ethic. let’s just say, we know where this choice is going to leave these parents in the shifting pecking order of our nation.
Maybe this is the way things have always been – the best and brightest are like the squeaky door, always getting the proverbial oil. The rest of us do the job of opening and shutting and expect no grand entrance.
Taking the metaphor too far? Absolutely.
But you get the picture. God help the potential best and brightest intellectuals and strategists who happen to be unfortunate enough to be born the son or daughter of those with a “formidable work ethic”.
So much potential left underdeveloped.
Or will our overhauled education and childcare centres do this job now?
No comments:
Post a Comment