Having Trouble Summoning The Empathy

By Kleinheider Posted on October 27, 2009 at 2:50 pm

Some of the unemployed yet upwardly-mobile get a sad face when they have to go back to work:

Mr. Wallace, 40, began spending much more time with his two boys while he tried to start his own business–and then when he was interviewing and negotiating for a full-time job. During the nine months he was unemployed, he spent many afternoons hanging out with his sons after school. He also dedicated upward of an hour each day to exercise. He lost 25 pounds and shaved almost 30 points off of his cholesterol level.

But then, in March Mr. Wallace started a job at Penneco Oil Co. in Delmont, Pa., as a chief operations officer. His bank account is fatter–but so is he, having gained back 15 pounds. “I’m finding less time now,” says Mr. Wallace, who has traded running and weight-lifting for walking the dog.

He also spends less time with his two sons. Less frequent are the after-school driveway basketball games and impromptu walks before dinner. “I get home at 6:15 and they’ve been home from school for a couple of hours,” says Mr. Wallace. By the time he gets home, it’s time for a quick dinner and homework–then the boys are off to bed. And he says the boys have noticed that he is less care-free than he was during his time off.

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