Paychecks & Principles: Raising Outstanding People
“I hired three new people. Two never showed, and one quit after a day,” said Bill, a swimming pool installer.
What’s going on with today’s labor force?
I spoke on “Personal Accountability and the QBQ!” to a restaurant audience of 75 managers. Two challenges were mentioned:
1. When employees used to show up dressed incorrectly, they’d be sent home to change. Managers don’t do that anymore. Why? Because sometimes … people don’t return. Ever. Management now keeps spare uniforms on hand for those who don’t dress right the first time.
2. Managers are reluctant to correct staff mid-shift, fearing they’ll be offended, pout, and walk out. Never to return.
The List Continues …
The CEO of a retail chain that rents just about anything told me, “If these young people come to work wearing the right shirt, they want a gold star.” Yes, he’s all for praising people, but for getting dressed correctly?
A grocery manager said, “I can’t tell a teenage worker what they’ve done wrong because they’ll retreat from me or ask if they can go home early.”
A DQ owner shared, “It’s tough to get people to work more than 3 hours because they can’t stay off their phones any longer.”
A retail store supervisor said, “I can’t recall the last time we terminated someone for incompetence. It’s always for consistent tardiness or skipping shifts altogether. People arrive an hour late and act like it’s no big deal.”
Imagine!
If you’re a hiring manager, imagine finding people who show up on time, dress correctly, ask questions, want to learn, receive coaching, understand they don’t know it all yet, desire to serve others, and are willing to go the extra mile for customers and co-workers. Just imagine!
What would you do if you found someone like this? As my mentor would say, “Hug their neck, and pray for 400 more just like them!” Okay, maybe hugging isn’t allowed these days, but they’re certainly “keepers” and would surely stand out, making them outstanding today.
Next, thank their parents. Yes, you read that right—give credit to … Mom and Dad.
Agree or disagree with this?: Today’s labor force problems lie at the feet of parents.
Got Absolutes?
The Miller offspring (7!) worked hourly jobs at Kroger, Pizza Hut, Wells Fargo, Starbucks, and a golf course/club restaurant, and none of the stuff described above would’ve been allowed. We even made—yes, made—our teens give an unheard-of-today two-week notice when it was time to move on.
We’re surely not perfect parents, but we do have standards. I bet you do, too. 👏🏻
In our Raising Accountable Kids book, we call them “absolutes.” As a parent, do you have those absolutes defined? If so, do you adhere to them?
It’s true: Strong parenting helps improve the world because we need young adults who want to make a difference.
So, Mom and Dad, are you teaching your children to be outstanding? I hope so because standing out in today’s culture—in a positive way—is a good thing.
And what about the workplace? Can we have absolutes there, too? Yes, yes, we can. 😊 👊🏻
What are you teaching your offspring and/or staff that is counter-cultural in today’s world? What are your “absolutes”?
6 Responses
I worked in the grocery retail business in the 1970’s here in Canada and we were paid a really good wage. It allowed the company (Safeway) to be very selective when hiring staff and folks stayed because we were paid well and had good benefits (health coverage, accumulated time off, paid vacation, dental). In the early 1980’s they brought in a 2-tier system where the grandfathered staff stayed at the higher wage and the new staff hired were paid much less. It is not surprising that the new staff would behave just like you described. Come in for day 1 and not show up again, or leave after a couple of hours, when they realized it was hard work. Call in sick on a sunny day or not show up at all. I believe treating your staff really well, paying more than the average employer and giving your staff good benefits will save you money in the long run. Staff will stay and work harder if you are an above average employer. Less resources spent in training and losing customers to poor service. I have personally worked with some amazing young people. Find a way to attract those folks – they are out there!
Thanks, Dorothy! Much wisdom in your words.
John
I see much of the same thing in recruting. It is called ghosting and both the clients and candidates are guilty. Serving my client and candidates with ethical behavior has been my mantra. Drives me crazy when it is not returned
Yep, Lance, gotta be awfully frustrating! Thanks!
Love this article! We have been experiencing the same thing at our business! You hit the nail on the head and we have tried to teach our kids the correct way to have good job ethics, etc!
Thanks, Tammy. It’s a challenge right now!