Employees: Friends or Assets?

Neither.

In the workplace, there are many different obstacles and trials to confront and overcome. One of these is human nature. Sure, we can say we're professional. We can act that way, dress that way. But beneath the surface of that smiling suit is a person. A person with emotions, desires, and ideas. Should your employee be your friend? As an owner, no. Should they just be another expendable asset in a spreadsheet? Absolutely not. Balance is key.

I hear too many stories about hundreds of people being laid off en masse from a huge company. Hell, way back when, I received a pink slip along with five thousand other hardworking people because the company I worked for decided to outsource all of our jobs. And there's my problem, right there. I understand that there is a company to maintain and sustain. But people are alive. They have feelings, they can be hurt. They can feel neglected, or used.

See? They're seen just as assets. Expendables. This is just wrong. I'm sorry, but it is. Now don't get me wrong. If an employee is not doing his/her job, you should consider giving them the axe, but there are right ways and wrong ways to go about doing it.

Then there's the other hand. Employees as best friends. Employers playing favorites, getting comfortable. There is no pulling back once you have made the plunge from employee to friend, especially if you share company/personal secrets with him or her. Most employees? I don't think they would hold sensitive information against you, but. Some will. Period. Once a boss becomes too personable, they lose authority, and are easily written off. I've seen it firsthand! As they lose authority, they lose respect, and then? Well. Do you really need to know what's next?

Balance is key. The maintenance and health of a business is very important- not only to you but to your employees too. Whether they wanted to or not, they are working at your establishment, your business. But they are not robots. They are people. And should be treated with respect. That's the key. Respect is a finite commodity. It ebbs and flows with society, and it also changes on the fly in everyday situations.

Friendship is...difficult in business, especially when defining the boundaries of employee/employer relationships, but a surefire thing that everyone recognizes is respect. Have respect for yourself and your business first, and everything else that revolves around these two very important items should start to settle into their proper perspectives.

People Mean More than Money

Some businesses are under the impression all over the world that human lives and safety must take a back seat to profit and running the business.

They are wrong.

There comes a time when one must decide if they are to be the owner that forces their employees to come in to work in danger, or in safety. Some owners will argue that, "I can't lose this money!", or "we have to think of the customers!" when it comes to pushing a work day. It's this type of thinking that is just so tragically skewed, and can often lead to tragedy.

Here in New Jersey, we've been hit with a lot of snow. And ice. And cold. And there are a lot of owner/operators out there that are still running their business. In spite of hazards (let's focus on weather, but really? This concept can be applied to anything), some owners become desperate because of loss of work, or some owners don't care at all about worker safety and just their profit margin.

If forcing a work day in hazardous conditions isn't bad enough during bad weather, it is also understood that employees will have a difficult time going to and from work. But that owner. Oh, that owner has other ideas. I'm at work, why shouldn't everyone else be? Because you're wrong, that's why.

To be clear, Budget has closed twice this week because it was simply not safe to work. And that fact should be enough for any business to cease work, or to improve work conditions (if applicable).

That being said, owners can be a strange breed. I, wanting to be a future owner, well. I already started off as a strange breed, but I have seen many owners across MANY. Many. Different jobs waste and conserve money (across many situations) with no rhyme or reason, with no cause, with no sense.

And when it makes the most sense to duck out of the working world for a day, that's where no sense is usually found.

It is also in my experience that when businesses force a work day, they wind up closing early because of the snow, and usually? Customers that would patronize an establishment would stay indoors because they got the day off thanks to bad weather. The money gets lost, the morale gets lost, and life could get lost. For what?

Money.

I, for one, will not be that type of owner, and I am very proud to say that I work for a company whose owner places human life above making a buck. I am going to use common sense to know when it's safe to work, and when we should all just stay home. I am not lazy. I work my ass off, and then I work my leg bones off for this business. The business that I will one day have the pride of running.

But if I'm to be expected to value it over people, well then that's going to be a problem. And if being that way doesn't make me successful?

I'm ok with that!