Recently I read a statement, by Peter Schultz, that reminded me of the people that I work with - "Hire character. Train skill."
Most of the employees that I work with, now and in the past, were hired years ago. It was a time when an employee's worth depended on the way they performed their job; dependability, honesty, work ethic, personality. In other words, their character. And then they were trained in the skills needed to work these jobs. Everything from running a cash register to ordering, from pricing to the legalities of Moneygrams, alcohol and tobacco sales and all of the different programs attached to each department. And let us not forget - Customer Service.
Through the years, some made it and some did not.
But for those who did make it, it was evident that it was their character that made them the ideal candidate for these jobs. They demonstrated one important factor - they cared.
But now, much has changed in the retail job market and all of the 'old school' factors have become a thing of the past.
Businesses aim for just one thing, that bottom line; profit. And while this battle goes on, the workforce strives to survive.
The retail workforce now contends with more part-time jobs then full-time positions. This is accomplished with a higher percentage of part-time as in comparison to the percentage of full-time. My understanding it is called, the '40-60 ratio'.
Of course there are reasons as to why this has been happening; recession, lack of sales, healthcare cost. And yet, even though businesses continue to make these adjustments their sales continue to drop. Which isn't surprising when you consider that these adjustments affect the very customers that support these businesses; the employees. Thus eliminating the spending power
And now our store has taken the very step that other companies have made.
Needless to say, it has been hard to witness.
So many full-time employees being cut to part-time and full-time hours changing. Some employees are single parents, while others have health issues and some are the sole income for their households.
And yet, along with the changes comes more hires - part-time.
One of the employees told me that they were feeling rather sad that they had kept their full - time position while so many had not, even though these other employees were just as good at their jobs.
You can see the change taking place and sense the mood. I don't think that many are thinking of the future, only dealing with the day to day. Much has been lost in the pride of a job along with the sense of purpose.
With all the changes that have been made, in this job market, it will be interesting to see if profit will play out over survival for these companies.
And when all is said and done, it will be what has been lost that will be remembered the most.
Talk at ya later!
Most of the employees that I work with, now and in the past, were hired years ago. It was a time when an employee's worth depended on the way they performed their job; dependability, honesty, work ethic, personality. In other words, their character. And then they were trained in the skills needed to work these jobs. Everything from running a cash register to ordering, from pricing to the legalities of Moneygrams, alcohol and tobacco sales and all of the different programs attached to each department. And let us not forget - Customer Service.
Through the years, some made it and some did not.
But for those who did make it, it was evident that it was their character that made them the ideal candidate for these jobs. They demonstrated one important factor - they cared.
But now, much has changed in the retail job market and all of the 'old school' factors have become a thing of the past.
Businesses aim for just one thing, that bottom line; profit. And while this battle goes on, the workforce strives to survive.
The retail workforce now contends with more part-time jobs then full-time positions. This is accomplished with a higher percentage of part-time as in comparison to the percentage of full-time. My understanding it is called, the '40-60 ratio'.
Of course there are reasons as to why this has been happening; recession, lack of sales, healthcare cost. And yet, even though businesses continue to make these adjustments their sales continue to drop. Which isn't surprising when you consider that these adjustments affect the very customers that support these businesses; the employees. Thus eliminating the spending power
And now our store has taken the very step that other companies have made.
Needless to say, it has been hard to witness.
So many full-time employees being cut to part-time and full-time hours changing. Some employees are single parents, while others have health issues and some are the sole income for their households.
And yet, along with the changes comes more hires - part-time.
One of the employees told me that they were feeling rather sad that they had kept their full - time position while so many had not, even though these other employees were just as good at their jobs.
You can see the change taking place and sense the mood. I don't think that many are thinking of the future, only dealing with the day to day. Much has been lost in the pride of a job along with the sense of purpose.
With all the changes that have been made, in this job market, it will be interesting to see if profit will play out over survival for these companies.
And when all is said and done, it will be what has been lost that will be remembered the most.
Talk at ya later!
