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Why "Low-Level" Work is More Important Than You Think

Summit Staffing

I'm glad that Cebu City is moving forward from Odette. I started to see repairs are going slow as they can be or as fast as they can be. Electricity was slowly restored so that means I didn't have to endure the irritating noise of the generator. It was a blessing to have a generator but it was also a hindrance. The generator was only used to avoid the issue of spoiling food and to charge gadgets. The use of the car to charge gadgets wasn't good for the battery. Now, the electricity is back and power tools labor can be done with both carpenters and electricians.

This reminded me of how Philippine society tends to look at "low-level" workers or the menial labor force. I was told that if I don't study hard--I would end up like the man on the road. The man on the road was cleaning. The other climbed very high areas. Then in third-year high school--we had the poem "The Road Less Taken". It was something to think about how "low-level" workers tend to be treated with disdain. It's a pretty common sight to say, "It was just a low-level worker." to excuse such arrogant behavior. However, Odette made me realize (even more) how important they were aside from repairs during regular days.

I think about the value of carpenters, masons, and everyone involved in building the house. It's very easy to ask, "Son, do you want to be an engineer or a carpenter?" However, we need to ask what would be the use of civil engineers if there were no labor force to work under them? The answer is engineer schematics will just end up as paper only if there were no laborers. Laborers are needed to attach this and that while the engineer guides them. For all we know, some of these guys are actually working back-breaking labor either to go to school or to get their children to finish school. For all we know, the carpenter of today may be the engineer of tomorrow.

The same went for the restoration of power. If there were no "low-level" workers then who would fix and replace the posts? The owners of the power company didn't do it themselves--they paid these workers to do the job. These workers are essential like the muscles in the body. Those who own the company are the neurological components. Those who do manual labor are the muscles. It's not enough to have a healthy mind. A strong body is also needed, right?

We need to take time to honor the value of manual labor. Manual labor is more important than you think. For instance, if I didn't have manual labor then I can't enjoy the benefits of repairs, my room fixed, the roads in proper order, and engineers are just paperwork. We need to salute them for all the effort they put in to give us the best. An organization is never complete without "low-level" work either. I prefer to call it "entry-level work" or "manual work". Besides, I think the best engineer would be the one who passed through the pain of doing menial work.

These would serve as closing words to the importance of menial work overall in a company's performance by Small Business Chronicles:

While upper-level employees make and implement decisions, low-level employees are usually the ones who carry them out. Low-level employees are the ones who assemble merchandise, serve food and provide customer service. Although low-level employees are paid the least, they are integral to the success of an organization. In fact, some corporations require that their upper-level employees work among the ranks of low-level workers so they understand better how the organization operates.

References 

"Characteristics of a Low-Level Employee in an Organization" by Miranda Morley
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