Nobody Wants To Work

Are we sick of hearing that yet? I am.

I think there is a lot left off of that phrase.

Nobody wants to work for low pay.
Nobody wants to work for bad bosses/company.
Nobody wants to work with terrible customers.
Nobody wants to work with zero work life balance.
Nobody wants to work for a company that is all the above when they can choose a better place.


A family friend is a restauranteur. He is massively successful AND has employees right now. How? He pays better, that is the #1 thing.
Money talks. Some employees will actually put up with a lot if they are paid appropriately. Some say these places can't survive paying what employees want. WELL welcome to a capitalistic society, SUPPLY and DEMAND Baby! The thing is the demand is... workers... GASP! Not Fair cry the businesses, how can they stay open, wah wah waaaaa! Funny when the shoe is on the other foot right?

The pandemic caused a major shift in people. Some people had never been home for a long stretch their entire careers. They liked it.
They might have enough money to not put up with the above. Tptb don't like that, they don't like it at all.

OH and in case you are wondering why everything is going up in price, FOOD, GAS, UTILITIES, HOUSING... Everything.
They want the peons to have to get back to work to pay for those thing. They want to make things as unaffordable as possible.
& THEY Don't have to. Just do a little research, look at the food companies and the profits!!!

a reply to: JAGStorm

Part Two.

The other thing I'm sick of hearing. Those are "Teen" jobs.
No they aren't. Can teens work fast food during school hours?
Can teen work at resorts during the school year.

They can't, and now they don't even want to. So who should work those jobs?

a reply to: JAGStorm

Thanks for posting about this, S&F. I don't understand the mentality of people when they complain about nobody wanting to work. I totally agree with you. If these places don't start paying better and treating their workers better, things will only get worse for them. It will be on the businesses. That is just a simple fact.

originally posted by: ChiefD
a reply to: JAGStorm

Thanks for posting about this, S&F. I don't understand the mentality of people when they complain about nobody wanting to work. I totally agree with you. If these places don't start paying better and treating their workers better, things will only get worse for them. It will be on the businesses. That is just a simple fact.

There is a place by me that is DESPERATLY trying to hire people at $8.00 hour. GROWN adults for 8 an HOUR.😲🤬
I was at the store and a pack of chicken was 17.99. You would have to work 3 hours just for a pack of chicken!!!!

a reply to: JAGStorm

I agree with most of what you say, but those fast food jobs are for teens and older/retired workers looking to supplement their retirement income. At least it was like that way back in 1983 when I worked at Burger King. I also don't think those jobs are worth $18 or $20 per hour (and neither do the companies replacing those positions with robots).

FWIW, a relatively new chain opened a few stores near my house...WNB, or Wings and Burgers. Excellent food and my wife and I ate lunch for under $20...close to what we'd pay at a crappy fast food restaurant.

a reply to: peter_kandra

At least it was like that way back in 1983 when I worked at Burger King.

1983 is almost FOUR decades ago. Times have changed but our thoughts on work haven't, that's the problem.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I just flat out do not want to work; I think there's plenty just like me out there. Yet here we are, working.

My big question is how are the people that are not working because, insert generic excuse here, living?
How are they getting food and lodging, let alone all the tech
I hate to go all boomer on this, but, when I was a kid, no work, no food, no roof over your head.
I have to agree with my father and grandpa here.
They said every generation is getting softer
as they rely on government programs for support more and more.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I wanted to come back with something snarky, due to this OP being kind of aggressive towards making the current generation OK with their work ethic. But I'm not going to do that.

I have had several small businesses. I currently only have 2. My main bread and butter is an IT company dealing with rural clients and fairly basic needs. I have had employees over the years, but find it much easier to deal with ups and downs with just me. Down side of that, is I have to do everything. At least I know it's done right, and if it isn't, I don't have to look far to find who to blame. Buy my other business is a pest control gig. As it grew, we needed employees, and while the job isn't super hard by any means, it does take some skills to do this right. It's mostly customer service, anyone can spray, but not everyone can spray well, keep the fussy clients happy, and show up. (that last one is key) Once you find people who can do all of those things and do them well, you really want to keep them. If I don't have to hire new people train them, fire a few, and find new one's that will do the three things I need them to do, my life is good. My partner is of the same mindset. We decided to make taking care of our employees the second focus, before taking care of us. (first is taking care of the customers)

We have had the same techs for 3 years, and they are fantastic. We have grown and hired more, but work hard to maintain the one's we have. Pay is only one aspect. Looking out for their real life, helping them with whatever they need, and making them genuinely feel like we are a family has paid dividends for us.

We do talk to others in the same business, and for almost everyone, employees are their biggest headache. I know my good luck won't last forever, but in light of your OP, I can say with some assurance that taking care of your people, and really caring about them and their lives has worked, it has allowed us to maintain amazing customer reviews, and makes the daily grind very tolerable. But I still look forward to retirement every day and twice on Sundays.

a reply to: JAGStorm

That's basically what happens when the gap between real economy and financial economy becomes too big for you to bare.

one is just numbers... The other is sweat and blood...

The fundamental issue is, we let someone else define how much our time is worth.
That's how one is keeping the other under it's thumbs, to tweak these fundamental dynamics of the current economic system.... Well how to say... It's dangerous?

One thing is certain with infinite growth, it will reach a breaking point. How we will ultimately deal with it is still up to us...
I hope, better than the last few times.

What I've seen here is probably similar to other places, one friend works in manufacturing. They've shifted to a 4 10-12 hour shift work week with a decent starting pay and monthly bonuses for attendance. They have no problem getting workers. My daughters company, I've mentioned before, her and other supervisory positions make excellent salaries. 70-100 grand. The floor workers? 10 an hour. Which is why they use temp agencies and illegals. Of course they can't keep other workers.

I think also covid brought a shift to finding ways to make money for yourself. Buying and reselling, making use of a skill you have. I love my job, but bake as a hobby. I don't charge as much as people seem to, just because it's a hobby, and just bake on request. but after hearing over and over again, I should get a license and make it a home business, after research, I could definitely make a very good living devoting a full let's say 40 hours to just baking and charging the going rates. But if you look, there are people everywhere doing that kind of thing and are their own boss. I don't know if they are doing it legally or think about health insurance, etc if you're not on a spouses plan though.

originally posted by: abigredneck
My big question is how are the people that are not working because, insert generic excuse here, living?
How are they getting food and lodging, let alone all the tech
I hate to go all boomer on this, but, when I was a kid, no work, no food, no roof over your head.
I have to agree with my father and grandpa here.
They said every generation is getting softer
as they rely on government programs for support more and more.

a reply to: JAGStorm

A combination of different things.
Some people just retired.
Some are independently wealthy.
Some went down to one income living.
Some joined households.
Some are yes, on public assistance

Considering the mrna vaxx is disabling millions of working class people, they definitely can't work.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I like food.

I like having a house and stuff in it.

*shrugs*

a reply to: network dude

I wanted to come back with something snarky, due to this OP being kind of aggressive towards making the current generation OK with their work ethic. But I'm not going to do that.

I was a little aggressive because of something i had just read. Of course most people want to work. There was a time when employees were even loyal to their company for life. Well, that’s until the companies tried to rub two Pennie’s together and get rid of most long term benefits like pensions. Then they were all confused when employees left for better gigs and just rolled over their 401K’s.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Just playing devils advocate here. Maybe the pandemic showed some people how to live more simply. I find absolutely nothing wrong with that. We don’t need 90% of the sh!t we fill our lives with.

I’m currently in the process if simplifying my life. It’s harder to do than you think. But the pandemic forced people down that avenue and here we are.

originally posted by: KKLOCO
a reply to: JAGStorm

Just playing devils advocate here. Maybe the pandemic showed some people how to live more simply. I find absolutely nothing wrong with that. We don’t need 90% of the sh!t we fill our lives with.

I’m currently in the process if simplifying my life. It’s harder to do than you think. But the pandemic forced people down that avenue and here we are.

Totally agree 100% People dove deep into what is important.

Im very into the interior design scene. This generation is very modern, sleek, without clutter.
They absolutely abhor their parents and grandparents nick knacks, figurines, and collections.
They are into experiences NOT things!

Don’t throw those antiques out too fast though, because these trends always swing back, always!

Greed is the major reason. On both sides of the equation.

The last ten years were under the banner of consumerism. FB, Instagram and other social media platforms that people use to boast on are to blame for it, or better say the people using it. The difference between reality and appearance was lost to many.

The newest shoes, trends and clothes, the newest smartphone, consumerism, that all led to expectations that are not in alignment with reality in the youth. And it trickled upwards too. Nobody wants to live on the countryside anymore because TV series paint a picture that the city is more comfy, better payment and glamorous. That is, if you make it.

Right after I earned my master title in vehicle mechanics, I was on the lookout for an apprentice. I had so much work and long term it looked really good. My parking lot was full with customer cars, I could have worked 24/7 and it would still have been able to get more. It was booming, then corona hit with the lockdowns and economy started to struggle, production chains broke down, parts were not available.

Today I am glad I could not find an apprentice because it now would be a burden, as the economy tanked. But why do I come up with this? Because I could not find one! It was not a lack of interest, that was there. But appearance and reality. It reads cool to work on high end cars, see race tracks and be an engine mechanic, but reality demands hard work. I on my side would have burdened myself with it for three and a half years, apprentice means work too. Failed jobs and the fallout of it. But I was willing to do it.

And the reasons it did not work out was expectations. Expectations on both sides, even though mine was just honest work and the will to learn. On the other side it was expectations on lazyness, often pushed by the parents even! After teaming up with a school and having an "open door day", I thought I would find one and even be able to pick the best.

I had a couple of maybe-future apprentice over, all male though. They all had their parents, or at least one in tow and the parents were the real problem. The expectations they had were astronomic. From flat out asking only assigning "the good work" to the apprentice, over special deals like, prolonged lunch time and such. I would have given pupils with bad marks a chance but even these parents (probably the reason for the bad marks was a similar behavior in school) thought their golden-child is too good to get the hands dirty.

If I was 16 again and had bad marks, someone offering me a job inside, heated, good but honest work on mainly brand new machines, the latest gadgetery, I would grab the chance. Imagine you're able to work on Porsche, BMW and other even more exotic super and hypers cars (Ferrari, Königsegg, McLaren) but all that seems to bother is when you can go home at Friday (preferable before lunch), extra vacation (that would have been fully paid with 1000€ holiday money years btw).

When one could have been the king of mechanics and with that also comes reputation and better chances to level up. I came from nothing into that field and was successful, I can only imagine the potential being brought into the field and scene from ground up.

Had one of the pupils agree to a one week long internship. I would have even paid for it! It would have ment less revenue on top of it because it's not actually helping me in my work day to babysit but I was willing to invest. Didn't even turn up! At the first day we would have prepared a track car and driven to an actual race track! I had other plans for that week like building an engine with the internship from scratch to finish, including dyno runs and mapping.

Did not even turn up. No call. After an hour, I called the parents and got a snappy answer their son found something better. I didn't ask what it was but I don't think that was the case.

So much for the todays youth and their parents view on life! Like I wrote, in the end I am glad it did not workout getting an apprentice because I would not have been able to provide a steady apprenticeship. But back then, if the economy would not have been tanked, golden times ahead.

SMH.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I guess the manager also looked at another company and said i can make that much if I save here and there, ultimately ruining his business...

But hey, I guess in some positions like HR, that lack of compassion might be appreciated. Would you be surprised these corporations, that look for lead positions with these traits, are the winners on the market?
there is a reason it's called predatory capitalism.

The last job I worked for $8 an hour wanted me to redesign the POS menu and contribute ideas to improve store sales. I told them I'd be happy to help in that capacity if they paid me a fair price for the extra work I would have put in, as I was hired as a barista and not as someone who worked in that department.

They already had me multitasking in the bookside of the installation when the cafe was slow and I wasn't informed of that duty when I was being interviewed for the cafe position and I was already a little miffed.

They never mentioned extra off the clock projects again.