Recently, I was visiting with a friend who owns a manufacturing business, and he is considering moving his production site to Mexico. We have spent several hours talking about the pros and cons of doing it. For him the issue is production cost as it relates to product quality. When labor cost makes it challenging to make a fair profit, there are discussions that have to be had.
He said it this way, “Richard, I spend most of my time fighting with what my people feel they are not getting, rather than them being grateful for what they have. I pay them above the going rate, but their mentality is I should keep paying them more. Why would I continue to fight with people who have lost their work ethic and replaced it with a ‘you owe me’ philosophy when I can go to Mexico and find people who will be glad to have a job and deliver a quality product?”
I think he has hit the nail on the head. The challenge we face today is the lack of a work ethic and finding those who are willing to stand up and face the issue. Most people work because they have to, not because they want to. I see this behavior almost everywhere I turn.
Karen and I were having lunch at a Ruby Tuesdays recently. We were seated for a while before the young waitress ever came to us. There was no smile on her face; there was no greeting of welcome; there was simply this lack of presence standing in front of us. We gave her our order, told her “thank you,” and she walked away with no response. We got our food, but had no silverware to eat with. We asked her, but she didn’t respond. Finally, Karen got up and brought some back. Her lack of presence continued until it was time to give us our check. Then, it was like she was a different person; she was alive and smiled as she handed it to us, while she let us know she enjoyed serving us.
I looked at Karen and said, “Isn’t it amazing how she changed when it came time for us to pay the check and leave her a tip. She is not going to get one, because she didn’t earn it.”
Mitzi, my stylist, and I were having a conversation about this. She has moved to this new salon and is excited about everything except the lack of caring on the part of the other stylists and staff.
“Richard, I love this location. It is the best salon I have been a part of in several years. I really thought coming here I would be working with a different level of people, but it is just more of the same. The other stylists don’t seem to care about the appearance of the shop or his or her own appearance. Being late doesn’t bother them; they just blow it off when their customers say anything.”
There was a long pause of silence and I knew what she was about to say. “I just want to work some place where people care. Am I wrong for wanting that?”
“No Mitzi, you are not wrong, but you have to wake up to the reality of the workplace. Those who don’t care far out number those who do. How do you tell a person they need to shape up when they don’t care and they are making money? You can’t make yourself responsible for their behavior. All you can do is do your thing at the highest level of quality possible and hope your behavior makes a statement to them. You are not going to change them; they don’t want to understand what you are saying because it would force them to be accountable for their behavior. The tragedy is the lack of a work ethic has created an environment where we point fingers and blame others.”
There was an ad on TV that made it appear that President Bush is selling out America by letting companies move their production to other countries. I don’t believe the ad and see it as just more finger pointing by people who don’t want to be responsible for what they are not doing. Who is it that is producing the ad? It is the part of our society that would rather blame than face their behavior. Truth is — behavior never lies.
When are management and the unions going to wake up and see themselves as the root of the issue? Too many companies are being led today by so-called leaders who are all about the bottom line or lining their pockets and not about the people. What has happened to a leadership that realized the value of those who invest their life in their job? What has sparked this kind of company greed that punishes the people who are their greatest asset? When leadership no longer sees the people as valuable, the people stop delivering value. The result of that is the lessening of product quality and a disappointed end user. The #1 thing people want to know is that they matter. That is one of the top responsibilities of leadership.
What is wrong with a union mentality that would rather point fingers than face the lack of a work ethic among its members? It appears the unions are more into justifying their existence than really working to build bridges between the worker and the company. When the cost of labor is pricing the product out of the market place, there needs to be some serious conversation about working together, not pointing fingers.
Both sides are involved in a world of blame that is grounded in greed. Neither is willing to listen, but both are willing to blame each other. What ever happened to sitting down and listening in order to resolve, rather than sitting down to blame and wanting your way, rather than being willing to work as partners?
In my mind the issue is the loss of the American work ethic. I don’t like going to the past to illustrate the present, but sometimes it is part of the lesson. During the great depression people worked! It didn’t matter what they had to do, they did it to make money to take care of their family. That ethic was passed down to their children, who passed it down to their children, who became a more affluent society. Over time people have forgotten what it was like to not have anything. They had plenty and for some reason started instilling through behavior a lack of accountability in their children. As the generations evolved “having” became more important than “earning.” We moved into a culture that believed it was entitled to have and shouldn’t have to work to receive it.
So many who are entering the workplace today come to get a paycheck and not to work; in fact they believe they should be paid more for working less. When one works because they “have” to and not because they “want” to, there is a consequence. That consequence is a workforce whose presence has a lessening value. The result of that is a person who goes to work each day with a chip on their shoulder about what they are not getting. What has happened to workers pride? What has happened to caring about what you do? What has happened to a days work for a day’s wages?
The lack of a work ethic is creating a lack of respect from others around the world. They see us as a fat, greedy nation who waste enough each day to feed a lot of starving people.
The lack of a work ethic has created product competition that never used to exist. It is not that other countries produce a higher quality product than we do; it is the fact we produce many products with less quality than they could be.
The lack of workers pride and work ethic will always be seen in the quality of the product that is produced. Are we willing to face that? NO! We want to place a higher tariff on foreign products. That says the issue is not within us, but it is all about those other nations taking business away from us. The reality is the consumer is tired of having to pay more because the workforce demands more and delivers less.
Hey, don’t take me wrong; I am as American as they come. That is the reason this concerns me as much as it does. We are not getting better as a nation; we are simply pointing more fingers and justifying more wrongs.
I don’t blame my friend for considering taking his business to Mexico. He provides a clean work environment, pays above standard wages and still has to deal with an unappreciated workforce. Why shouldn’t he hire people who are happy to have a job and are willing to work for a fair wage and deliver a quality product?
I’m tired of being told I should pay more taxes because I work hard. I am tired of being made to feel guilty for those who don’t want to be held accountable for their life. I’m tired of paying for people to sit home and do nothing or have babies that I have to pay to raise. I’m tired of being made to feel like the enemy because I am willing to work. There are opportunities in this society for people to have a great life. But getting there means applying yourself; it means working, rather than expecting someone to take care of you. It means having a work ethic, rather than a critical tongue.
We are a great nation! We were founded on the principles of freedom; we were formed to reward the efforts of those who were willing to give it their best. We are a nation of opportunity. My concern is rather than becoming a nation that is getting better and better, we are becoming the best of the worst!
Email me your thoughts to Richard@richardflint.com
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