This film “Keeping Your Job is Work” (1971) was made by Dibie-Dash Productions, and produced and directed by company founder George Spiro Dibie and Roger E. Dash. Official summary: Emphasizing the importance of meeting responsibilities of a job. Presents several job situations pointing out the need for reliability, dependability, promptness, cooperation and initiative from an employee.

00:00: main titles and credits, and shows a new, probationary employee evaluation card before showing the officer of the Director of Personnel Services, with four new hires waiting. They include three white males and a Black woman with a prominent afro hairdo.

1:08: Four young people are hired, but keeping a job requires meeting responsibilities; it’s that simple.

1:25-1:44: Filling out new hire forms. Employers may give detailed instructions or minimal guidance, but performance determines job retention, not just intentions.

1:48-2:03: A drafting or engineering office with a supervisor assessing work of a new hire. Success in keeping a job and advancing depends on delivering high-quality work and other key responsibilities. Black woman shown using a mimeograph machine.

2:08-2:17: Office clock shows 8:30 a.m. Being at work daily and on time are critical to job retention.

2:37-3:28: Excuses for tardiness (e.g., baby, car, traffic, or just missing the city bus as shown) reflect poor planning; plan to arrive early to account for delays. Being late or absent signals unreliability, so call in using a payphone if unavoidable.

3:31-3:37: Time is profit for employers, and profits sustain the business. Working at a packing facility using a multipacker to pack cans of Pepsi. The newbie employee tries to adjust the machine, resulting in Pepsi spillage.

4:12-4:44: Don’t hesitate to ask questions—it shows interest in learning. Fellow workers or supervisors can clarify tasks.

4:50-5:04: Note answers to questions to avoid repetition and refer to them as needed.

5:14-5:38: The probationary period is critical; supervisors closely watch performance. Accept criticism calmly to improve. Machine shop work shown.

5:55-6:15: Taking reasonable orders is essential, even if it’s hard for some; resisting doesn’t work on the job. New employee gets into a minor argument with his Black supervisor.

6:17-6:26: Getting along with coworkers and supervisors is vital, as poor relationships affect work quality. Lunchroom. All the employees are shown drinking milk through straws.

6:30-7:01: Avoid arguing politics or religion at work; respect older employees’ experience instead of mocking them.

7:07-7:31: Offer positive suggestions to improve procedures rather than just criticizing; supervisors value alertness.

7:37-7:56: Be professional—dress appropriately, avoid personal calls, eating, or visitors at work. Black woman shown making a personal call while eating at her desk. She spills all over vital documents.

8:12-8:27: Maintain good hygiene, especially in close-contact jobs. Employers expect initiative; lacking it seems lazy.

8:32-9:03: In slow periods, find tasks instead of idling (e.g., reading or knitting), as it shows initiative. Woman shown filing IBM punch cards.

9:07-9:40: Avoid being overly pushy (e.g., rushing tasks without care for quality), as it annoys supervisors.

9:47-10:07: Keeping a job starts on day one; the probationary period tests performance and teamwork.

10:15-10:50: Job retention and advancement hinge on punctuality, dependability, understanding expectations, accepting criticism, cooperation, pride in work, and initiative.

10:50-11:00: Being on time matters; frequent lateness or absences suggest unreliability, which contradicts dependability.

11:11-11:15: Getting a job is a task, but keeping it requires ongoing effort. New employee evaluation shown as film ends.

Motion picture films don’t last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For almost two decades, we’ve worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies — including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have endangered films you’d like to have scanned, or wish to donate celluloid to Periscope Film so that we can share them with the world, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us via the weblink below.

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com