When is Enough, Enough

A microcosm of the challenges facing the services industry as they continue to recover and rebuild their businesses coming out of the pandemic.

The recent story which has been in the news and went viral on social media, of a restaurant manager who issued a memo to the staff of the location indicating that no call outs would be accepted any longer, virtually no reason was acceptable according to the memo. As I read the memo, I found myself in that managers shoes for a moment. The tone was of someone who was completely exasperated and frustrated with their staff over what truly is an epidemic in the services industry...the call out.

The manager, sounded to be at wits end and it came flooding out in words...words that I am sure the manager would like to reconsider today. But the emotion, and maybe even anger in what they was likely dealing with for a much longer time than we may know. And this is a workforce that doesn't value the basic idea of coming to work when they were scheduled to do so.

Truthfully, and from my experience of over 35 years in retail management, I am sure not all of her staff were, as we used to say in retail...were laying on her leg. As to say, keeping the manager from being to be able to run the store effectively because of the inconsistency of employees showing up for work. A job they each accepted willingly and the conditions which came with it.

So how did we get here

When my oldest daughter entered the workforce while she was in high school. She was a host at a restaurant and had responsibility to keep tables turning and communicating with the wait staff as tables came open to seat the next customer. I remember conversations we had about the attitude of some of her co-workers and how some just didn't seem to care to be there. This was my opportunity as a dad to explain to her how opportunity comes to those who apply themselves and are willing to take direction and rise above the rest. As I remember, I told her that many people work hard, to not work...while at work. And that those employees will try to influence others to do the same, effectively lowering the overall production of the entire team. I continued to encourage her by reminding her that if she tried a little harder, did the extra work, took on the extra responsibility and take the extra shift when she could, someday more opportunity would come her way. The additional point I shared with her was that no matter what her compensation was, she accepted it when she accepted the job and if she wanted to make more income, she would have to prove her value.

I tell that story because that was just 15 years ago, yet today the situation is many times more severe than it was then. And seemingly employers have even less ability to impact how the workforce views what work really is. There seems to be very little employers can do to motivate, influence or challenge employees to work hard, while learning new skills and gain knowledge which can be taken on to their next opportunity. This current situation is not sustainable...but what are the solutions.

To be clear, we didn't get where we are today, yesterday...it has evolved over many years, but the pandemic exposed what was brewing under the surface. I read a recent report which indicated that compensation at retail has grown by 22% since the beginning of the pandemic. But I submit that production has dropped in the services industry by a greater number in the same time period. So why is that...well in some cases people believe they are entitled to more compensation without investing their time and ability to do the very best job they can to help their employer be successful and to improve their own opportunities for growth. In other words, they don't believe they should be invested.

On one social media thread regarding this story one young lady of millennial age, said that managers must respect their employees, but managers have to earn their employees respect...well, she is half right, but respect is mutual and earned both ways. I submit that this young lady's sentiment is shared by many in her age group. I took her comment, as employees have to be respected no matter what and treated as such. My question is at what point did this way of thinking become acceptable and a norm.

I can vividly remember my dad telling me when I took my first job outside of my home chores...he was crystal clear, that I was to give an honest days work for an honest days pay. A pay that I accepted for the job I was hired to do. It wasn't a request from him, it was his expectation of me, and I never wanted to let my dad down. And this is the same story (worded differently) that I shared with my own daughters years later.

My Message to the Manager of this Story

Many of us who have managed and led a team, each of us have made mistakes. Mistakes we wish we had never made, but that we learned from to make us better leaders. What managers throughout the services industry are dealing with today is trying to understand a changing workforce. A workforce which is not all that interested in guidance, direction and leadership. What motivates them is hard to distinguish and even more difficult to capture is what do they want to achieve. As managers, you cannot solve every issue an employee has, but getting to know what makes them tick can go a long way in turning the tide. It is a nice thought that managers and employees can have a healthy relationship where each have the others back. Where disagreements can be resolved in a productive way and goals can be shared.

Ultimately, building mutual trust must happen first...it is the one competency which allows all of the others to be developed. Without trust, success will be fleeting and growth will be quelled.

To the workforce

Decide what is most important to you, what do you want to achieve now and into the future. How do you plan to get there, truth be known you will need others to guide you, give advice and challenge you to get outside of your comfort area. If a paycheck is all that interests you, do yourself and others a favor...drive a truck. Truck driving can be rewarding and drivers are needed throughout the supply chain and you can spend all of your time at work, by yourself. Seems like a perfect match for many.