We're currently scheduling work for the third week of April 2012. We changed our out going message to reflect this fact. Not only did that not deter anyone, it seems to have created a sense of urgency. We are in a very risky business, I am not inclined to take on additional risks at this time. There is nothing riskier than a new hire and nothing as profitable as a good one. Either way, in today's environment, it seems I lose. I am inclined to wait until success is not seen as evidence of injustice. The rub isn't so much the loss of potential income as it is the fact that these are good jobs. We only have 33 men, but they represent over 100 mouths to feed. That's a lot of people. It just seems a shame. The bright side is the nature of our business. The majority of these projects aren't getting done at all, so perhaps it's just a matter of waiting another season or two. I guess that's a lot easier for me to say than some poor guy with a family to feed and no work. My thoughts and my feelings are very conflicted. My heart goes out to those who need work done and those who need work to do, but my head says that I need to protect those who have put their trust in me to get them through this. Mongomery Burns from "The Simpsons" once said, 'I'd give everything I own for just a little more.' I don't want to be like that. It's hard to say I have enough, when others need more.
People that prejudges anyone in a given racial group, is a racist. What do you call someone that prejudges an employer, just because they are an employer? Please detail the risks a new hire can bring. Many that read this think the only risk is you may have to fire them. I suspect the risk goes way beyond that, and is something like (not in this business so please excuse my ignorance): 1. Obviously shoddy work, or a bad attitude, gives your company a bad reputation with customers. 2. Work that fails, can damage property and people. 3. Sloppy work habits can result in injury to the new hire, and people around them. 4. A new hire with a bad attitude can spread that attitude among other employees. 5. A new hire can talk customers into working directly with them, cutting you, and your other employees, out. 6. Terminating a bad employee gets you involved in all kinds of red tape with state and federal agencies 7. If the new hire is a minority (race, gender, age, etc.), they could sue for wrongful termination.All of these costs time, which you don't have, and money. Maybe so much that you have to let good people go. A new hire isn't a risk - they are a RISK! Many employers worry more about their employees than they do themselves (do they work the hours you put in?)
