On this Labor Day, some observations from managers and small business owners.
The husband of a diner owner says the dishwasher didn't show up yesterday on what turned out to be a very busy morning...His excuse....He forgot....
A fellow hired to work as a courier picking up people in Syracuse and driving them back to Watertown quits after one day....He says he is too stressed out.
A manager of a large 24/7 firm says too many employees are members of the Upstate NY Independently Wealthy Club, because they seemingly don't have to work. Few seek or want overtime....They call in sick twice in a week and the next week think its so unfair to work a holiday...People take a job for a couple of weeks just to get unemployment. Oh, and my friend's cat died and I have to be there for her.
They don't realize there are two 8:00 oclocks in each and every day and will show up late or not at all and if fired, just fall back on the social safety net until a new gig comes along. It really is 'all about them."
More than ever before a team player and a traditional work ethic are worth their weight in gold.
Welcome to the world of service industry recruiting and retention...
Against that backdrop, I am pleased to say Diana has logged her fourth consecutive month of tops in sales at my business. In such a competitive industry its hard to stay on top.
So I gave her a Grant and asked her to go to the Kilt this weekend and make a list of all they are doing right and wrong. Its a new business with a strict set of protocols and there is something to learn there....We are going to compare notes this week and come up with a better run Fort Pearl.
So while we are not part of the Labor that gets attention on Labor day, we are still laboring with a specific goal in mind...to make a profit and earn a better living than the year before...
Lots of other people share the same goals and get it done everyday....To all of them a happy Labor Day...and if you are working Monday, good for you...because as long as people still want to have drink...eat a meal...get sick...set their house on fire..commit a crime...or go shopping, somebody has to be there on the job. It's not unfair...it's just the way life is.
17 comments:
Sometimes you have to wonder. It's their world and we are just living in it. Happy Labor Day to the independently wealthy work force.
Yeah, members of the "Independently Wealthy Club" working for your and your buddy's sub minimum wage, no benefit jobs is a real privilege. See if another low paying bar industry type company will move in will you, Mayor? Get us some real jobs- those you were talking about don't pay the bills, and you got complaints? Stick your "team" up your "tited kilt".
Where do you work ?
Mayor, you work too hard. Can't Addie or Darrel get you a no-show state job. ?
I sympathize with your sentiments mayor. How many weeks of unemployment can a guy get now-a-days anyway?
You forgot the part where they can steal and not have to worry about the legal system even slapping their hand.
LOL...that's business 101. Cleavage sells more than comb-overs.
Your business acumen is spot on, politics could use some refinement. Still like you tought.
Tong
Mayor is damn near dead on ......
I used to agree with everything you've said, Jeff. Work ethic has changed a great deal in the last couple generations. But I'm left with having to ask why these changes have taken place.Why have people lost their respect for work, why they've not take seriously their contribution the business efforts? Why don't they take pride in what they do? The answer is there has been a disconnect. They see no value in doing a job well, because their company puts nothing into their employees. They hire new employees for 8 or 9 dollars an hour. Then, when they learn their jobs, they get $.15 an hour raise, which is supposed to ensure employee loylty for years to come. American companies need to expect and demand hard work. Then they need follow through an pay good workers accordingly.
wtf kind of name is Danica anyway??
1:39,
You are full of poopie.
People don’t work because in spite of the “recession” we have, our economy is doing better than any economy in the history of time. Life is too easy. They never learn how to work. They never taste the value work has on self esteem. They don’t have to worry about food or clothing or housing or heat or entertainment. Everything is too cheap.
If they don’t get everything they need from their minimum wage job they get it from the government or from their parents without much effort.
The glory days never existed, that libs dream and reminisce about, of union jobs and big bucks. Sure some jobs paid more but the cost of living was astronomical. Cars lasted 2 years instead of ten. Blues jeans were a days pay at minimum wage. Homes had one bathroom. You had to pay for your music and video games instead of stealing it off the Internet. Healthcare was cheaper but ninty percent of our medical services were not available then.
I don't disagree with any of that either. I'm just saying there really isn't any difference from the people who work, hard, and the people who don't do a thing. Same outcome in today's economy. We aren't in as much of a disagreement as it might seem.
I can remember the same casual attitude toward work some (a minority) of my friends and extended family in upstate New York had 35 or 40 years ago. For them, it was common to work a non-demanding seasonal job and get unemployment during the winter months. Some became skilled at welfare support for housing, food or health care, especially with children. And doing odd jobs "under the table" while on unemployment or collecting welfare was a sport. Many of these people have changed their attitudes since then but there are always others to take their place.
Take a look at our state and federal governments, you will see why many people lack the good work ethics.Great pay, great benefits, and you do not have to do a whole lot. People wonder why the youth of today are lacking;the trickle-down effect.
NY23BDMP is right, this time. But who can blame people around here for doing as little as possible. The jobs pay nothing, except for schools and government.
Pay is ranked very low on the list of human motivators. Most things we do, is not for pay. Yesterday I worked very hard at putting on a cookout. This morning I exercised for 45 minutes. This summer I grew a garden which was much more work then if I just went to the farmers market and bought the fresh produce.
Life is too easy these days. Growing up in the north country, work was part of living. chopping wood, planting the garden, doing the dishes and cooking. Today everything comes out of the freezer and goes into the microwave. People are not accustomed to work just trying to stay alive, so when it is time to work at a job it is a shocker for today's generation.
If people sit home, drink beer, do drugs, make babies, and stay unemployed they still have a reasonable standard of living. In this local economy, if they work hard, their quality of life goes up a tick. So why bother? I say stay home, get drunk, make a baby, smokie smokie. Get an apartment on William or Boyd Street and rent from a teacher.
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