I
hear people talking, and more often than not it frustrates me.
Not because the people are wrong, but because the focus is so
narrow. They believe the blurb, the clickbait, but make no acknowledgement
of the larger realities. Here’s an idea that covers everything
I mean: No one wants to work.
While
there is absolutely a lot of evidence that supports there are
people that don’t want to work, there isn’t any evidence that
states universally that no one wants to work. Often, the statement
is being used as an excuse for poor service and bad experiences,
because pointing fingers and making accusations is easier than
admitting anything more. We don’t hear it when things are going
well. We hear it when business hours are inconsistent or extremely
limited. We hear it when our meals arrive at the table cold after
long waits. We hear it when most of the tables are empty and we
still can’t get seated in less than 45-minutes.
My
issue with it isn’t whether or not some people don’t want to work.
Honestly, some people don’t. But even where there is a flicker
of truth, no one wants to look around and see alternative issues
that might be contributing. Just a few:
*
Bad management/ownership
*
Bad work environments
*
Concerns about health and safety
*
Better pay from other opportunities
The
list goes on, but those four cover a lot of the ground. People
are often making decisions for personal health and happiness,
but no one discusses that aspect of things. The reason I point
it out is because, time and time again, I’m handed stories blaming
a specific issue such as not being able to find staff as if a
mic drop moment, when I know for a fact that there were several
other problems that simply don’t offer an excuse without blaming
management and ownership and more.
Before
we move ahead with this, we might need to take a step back. And
to start, I’m going to point in the direction of Sears.
Where
do you go for Craftsman tools?
The
answer was always Sears. But they sold off the brand and products.
Mostly Lowe’s now. Amazon carries them. Ace seems to have some
items. Walmart does as well. Point is, even though we all saw
it even before this move, once that brand was sold to Stanley
Black & Decker, Sears was effectively done. And yet, it’s
not. Sears still exists. Website and a few physical locations
and more. (That said, with less than two dozen actual stores remaining,
most news stories say that will likely change in 2023 and we will
see the official end.)
The
funny part is, you probably thought Sears closed years ago. The
news that it isn’t officially closed probably surprised a few
readers.
During
the Covid closures, I read about a lot of businesses that claimed
they wouldn’t be reopening once Covid restrictions began to lift.
Many of these were places that had been struggling for years,
usually to the point of combining horrible service with bad management,
and were definitely approaching the finish line of their run before
the world was tilted for all of us.
Then,
they blamed the pandemic. Blamed it hard, and blamed it consistently.
(My words.) “We were ok, until Covid.” (Actually, if I knew any
better, I’d say it was almost as if ownership and senior decision
makers knew about an insurance policy or such that qualified for
a payout under circumstances like an international emergency and
national lockdown. But that’s just a passing thought, not even
an opinion, and certainly shouldn’t legally be looked at as my
having even shared with my out loud voice. (Let’s move on.))
And
with that meandering in place, I ask…
Is
everything closed around you as well?
Ok.
Unfair question. Everything isn’t closed. But some places have
closed their doors for good, and the hours of operation for most
have definitely changed for those that remain.
I’m
guessing that, exactly as I have, you’ve witnessed a few things
in your community over the past couple of years. Restaurants only
open for three hours a day, beginning around 4pm. Menus available
online that can only be accessed during operating hours. Businesses
that are gone forever seem to be gone for reasons that make no
sense.
And
over and over again, it sure feels like everyone says the only
reason is they can’t get help because no one wants to work.
Today
I was out running some errands. It was late in the morning, and
I was getting hungry, so some of my thoughts began moving away
from my list of stops and over to possibly getting some lunch.
The issue? Nothing was open.
Now,
again, unfair. There were plenty of options open. But I think
we can all understand, the assortment was exactly the same. Five
different versions of branded hamburgers and a grilled or fried
chicken sandwich. About the only exciting part of the available
restaurants was that they each offered a different flavor of Fanta.
So, if my biggest craving was built upon deciding between grape,
orange or strawberry soda, things were actually really, really
good.
I’m
definitely not saying Covid didn’t change the
world and make it amazingly difficult on businesses. Also absolutely
not saying there aren’t a heck of a lot of people
that don’t want to work. Both of those concepts are creating issues
and challenges. Yes. Both. Completely valid and happening.
But
I’ve been in many places that I know aren’t looking to add any
new staff on any level, places that have the same number of folks
working on their properties now as they had five years ago, but
I get told the horrible service is created by no one wanting to
work. It gets insulting after a while.
Don’t
fall for it. Try to learn more. Try to demand more, because you
deserve better. Rather than believing something because someone
repeats a catchphrase without content over and over and over (and
over) again, look for answers. Until we expect better, until we
demand better, we are going to continue to see whining
excuses offered as if truth. You deserve the truth.