Is the work ethic suffering ?

[Mr. Jelly]

Often the wrong people are being blamed. Not always but most often. Businesses and companies take on the personality of it's management. When the management is bad so is the business. I was shocked, as I still am, when in my career it became acceptable for first line management to make statements like "my employees aren't doing what I tell them to do". I waited for a teaching lesson to take place where it would be explained to the first line manager that it is their job to make the employees do what they are supposed to. And if they couldn't then they themselves had failed. It's always managements fault as they are the ones that are responsible for making things work like they are supposed to.

[RP]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

...It's always managements fault as they are the ones that are responsible for making things work like they are supposed to.

That's my mantra. One need not go to many fast food restaurants to find verification of the this thread's theme, but I can send you to any of the Arbies restaurants in Richmond, VA for verification of how good food, service and experience can be when management is on top of their game...

The Restaurant Company — Richard Ripp, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, founded The Restaurant Company in 1967 with 25 employees. Since then, the company has opened 18 innovative Arby’s restaurants in the Richmond metro area, as well as the acclaimed Can Can Brasserie in Carytown. The Restaurant Company’s success is based on simple principles – being friendlier, faster, more courteous and quicker to recognize the customer’s wants and needs. That means aggressively pursuing innovations that take customer satisfaction to a new level. We constantly expand our menu, introducing a variety of new products and concepts. Our famous Roast Beef sandwiches are joined by choices ranging from subs, market-fresh salads, rotisserie chicken, turkey specialties, fresh vegetable side dishes and creative appetizers. From the beginning, The Restaurant Company has reflected the energy, innovation and vision of its founder. Richard Ripp’s goal was to build a company that is among the most highly respected food operators in the market. Service is – and always has been – our most important product.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by fazool

Two related thoughts:

My wife and I have to ship packages FedEx flat-rate to the Caribbean. So we have been through this complex process a few times.

One woman at the counter is a nightmare to deal with, argues and criticizes everything, makes it an incredibly horrible process, insists we fill out incorrect forms and doesn't even understand the process and makes it clear that we are a bother to her.

The other woman there is a pleasure and joy to see, she helps out, gets everything done, pleasantly talks about her classmate who lived in the same place, asks how our daughter is doing, asks about what the occasion is this time, all while completing the paperwork properly and leaving us with a smile.

It's very largely dependent upon the person and their attitude toward the world.

Secondly, back in the day our dads came back from the war, went to work in the factory and were able to get married, buy a house, raise a family, have a new car and go on an occasional vacation.

That American Dream is gone.

Folks in lower-level positions are not living the American Dream, they are barely making it and every day is (literally not figuratively) a fight for survival. So their attitudes tend to show that.

When I was working full time in charge of a fair size engineering group only four years ago, I interfaced with a lot of people every day. The people who were less competent caused, by far, most of the trouble.

A lot of problems are connected to the person you are working with. Really competent people are a joy to work with. Even real problems don't seem so bad when the person on the other end knows what they are doing. And I use the term "real problems" because people who are incompetent can make problems out of thin air.

I don't think the work ethic is dead. I don't think it's any different than it ever was. Some people work hard, some people don't. There is still plenty of fear out there and for many, that is a big motivator. But some people fear only works for a while and then they slack off.

- Glenn

[JLT]

I have only two things to contribute to this thread:

1. If you're not getting good service, complain nicely. Talk to the supervisor and, without being aggressive about it, politely explain why you thought the service was deficient, and ask if there's anything on your end you can do to solve the problem. If that doesn't work, a politely worded letter to somebody higher up is in order. If that doesn't work, consider changing providers, but let them know why. My point is that managers only knows the quality of the work of their subordinates when people tell them about it. Otherwise, they're working in the dark.

2. I'm not sure the work ethic is dead. I have found workers who go out of their way to make their job harder if the result is worth it to them, either esthetically or renumeratively. They want to do good work, and take pride in doing it well. But you have to let them know you appreciate that extra effort. When I was running a factory, I got to know the people who were shipping stuff to us or from us, and thanked them for going out of their way when they needed to.