“Countries are not built by people in suits, sitting in fancy offices. They’re built by people who leave an imprint of their hands, feet, and sweat on the ground.”
The above lines aptly describe the ones who work primarily with their hands and become the hands of our economy. They keep our lights on, buildings upright, and energy flowing. The blue-collar workers are the people behind the quarterback, who are omnipresent and coming in the clutch of the modern world as we know it.
However, the blue-collar job trajectory is increasingly becoming unappealing for the youths of our generation. This is owing to the problems of inflexible schedules, shortage of hiring agencies, the alarming probability of unemployment, fear of being replaced by AI, and mainly, lack of adequate skill-based training.
Amidst this pessimism, companies should indulge in rewarding and recognising their blue-collar workers to tell them that their efforts are highly valued and appreciated.
Management and human resource departments world-wide carry the responsibility to remove the stigma against manual labour. Having an open-minded look on defining intelligence and aspirations while hiring, monetary rewards, and other tangible rewards such as gifting personalized gear, gift baskets, or new workman’s boots would make them feel more appreciated for their contributions. Experiential rewards like paid vacations, off-site training, sports games, group outings, or training sessions that focus on career growth would make them feel at home in the workplace, boosting their morale tremendously.
In order to boost the morale of Indian blue-collar workers, the Indian Consulate in Dubai has recently announced a new drive to upgrade skills and roles in the UAE. The mission has collaborated with Skyline University College and the Indian Association, Sharjah to train them in English language and communication skills, basic computer literacy, and soft skills which would increase their productivity and leadership skills. Such initiatives are the need of the hour as it would shed a limelight on the importance of blue-collar jobs among the youth, and entice them into taking up blue- collar jobs as career paths.
I believe that such initiatives would entice the youth of this generation to choose blue-collar jobs as career paths, instead of looking down upon them and help them to be trained on adequate skills to enhance their productivity. As the saying goes, good management lies in making a sheep feel like a lion while going home from work. In such a management, lies the salvation of the blue-collar workers.
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