BraveSpeaking: Work Issues

Noun payment made by employer of state as part of a job agreement or public assistance program

benefits
Workers clashed with police and set fires across France in protest against government plans to raise the age for retirement benefits.

compel

Verb force someone to do something

compelling
Foxconn, Apple's largest manufacturing partner, is under renewed criticism for compelling students to work long hours at their plants or not graduate.

demeaning

Adjective causing someone to seem less important or less worthy of respect

demeaning
In the movie "The Help" white women don’t do demeaning jobs. But Skeeter is different. Not only does she work but she also writes a book that exposes the suffering of black maids in Mississippi.

fatigue

Noun loss of strength and energy resulting from mental or physical work

fatigue
Drone pilots, who fight distant wars from the safety of U.S. bases, still confront some of the same stresses and fatigue that their comrades do on the battlefield.

get ahead

Verb be successful, as in business or society

get ahead
Higher education degrees help people get ahead. But instead of doing the work themselves, some students cheat and hire ghostwriters to write their thesis for them.

get by

Phrase manage with difficulty to live or do something

get by
Alejandro Cartagena takes photos of construction workers in Mexico packed into the backs of pickup trucks, doing what it takes to earn enough to get by.

underemployed

Adjective not having enough paid work to make full use of one's skills

underemployed
In NYC more than 1.6 million workers, a staggering 45% of the local labor force, are underemployed. They are struggling because their employers do not give them enough hours in the work week.