subway franchisees may be praying to god more than ever.
the subway company issued new store closure rules which are controversial.
the nypost reported that “subway stores that close more than once a year without permission barring “an act of god” — a strict legal term that tends to include only the most severe of natural disasters — risk being taken over.” nypost.com
of importance to this blog post, was the comment in the article from a mr. paul steinberg, a franchisee. he reported that “when he was running his subway, he aimed to open every day, even on holidays. but it was impossible.” he reported that “often on holidays such as thanksgiving and christmas, nobody wanted to work — even at double or triple pay —” [emphasis added]
subway’s actions, in a large part, reflect labor problems. simply put, there a lot of people who simply “don’t want to work.” the holidays, for many businesses is not the only problematic day of the week for employees. in fact, it is everyday of the week, especially mondays and fridays.
in small business and operations, shorthanded stores are forced to close up potentially everyday. these closings harm the business, which loses money, as well as the community which they serve.
the problem for businesses is further confounded by an ever increasing population of individuals with little or no work ethic. the work ethic is so bad that many employees are challenged by the act showing up to work on time or even at all. further, government regulations concerning time off has also hampered employers. additional government policy has led some employees choosing to not work and take their chances on collecting unemployment.
as a business owner, there are times i seriously contemplate praying to god that certain staff members will show up to work.
the ten commandments includes the provision for taking a day off, the sabbath. the sabbath, however, was created only after six days of the intensive labor of creating the universe. thus, this blog argues, the week of working is just as much of a component of the sabbath as is taking the day off. thus, working should fill oneself with a level of satisfaction. there should be some pride and sense of accomplishment that one made it through each day of work.
as society moves forward, the fate of businesses and your enjoyment of those businesses are at risk due to an ever eroding work ethic. if you have children or are mentoring a young person, this is a great topic to address with them. if they are instilled with a good work ethic, they will have an enormous competitive advantage over their peers.
subways’ problem is truly a “sign” of our times.
be well!!
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