2008 recession! Why do companies lay people off and then hire them back two months later? Why would anyone give loyalty to a company when they know at any given moment that they can be cut loose? If a company wants loyalty from their employees then they should inform all personnel that a down time in business is not very far off and hours may have to be reduced. Simple communication is all that need apply here, and then there will not be any further resentment towards that company.
I was recently laid off and had no warning – just pull me into an office and announce, “Sorry dude, we gotta let you go due to lack of work for you.” Now that company may say two months later, “We need you since it is now busy,” but why would anyone go back knowing how unstable the management is?
This town of 75,000 seems to be doing just fine except for the housing industry being absurd with their prices on uninspiring homes for sale. In Cottonwood, Arizona one can purchase a home for around $250,000 and is surrounded by the red rocks of Sedona. The home has three bedrooms, 1.5 baths, and some sit on an acre of land. Flagstaff is only 45 minutes away and Phoenix/Scottsdale is a mere two hours south. As far as renting apartments there goes, they are the same as here but the pay is better there since hospitality is their main industry.
I have heard mixed reviews of Oregon in general, and as far as location goes this is a prime spot but certainly not worth the aggravation of high prices, both with housing and restaurants.
When I was growing up most people purchased a house to live in for at least a minimum of 10 years because they wanted to be a part of the community. They wanted to establish a base for their children and hopefully find a decent job to cover their expenses. Most people now seem to be more interested in making a profit than in being a part of the community and could not care less about raising the market price on homes.
What I have noticed here in Bend is that many companies such as coffee shops and restaurants do not focus on their local patrons to such a degree that they become their nest egg. The traveler passing through couldn’t care less where they visit as long as they get what they want for a good price. They have no loyalties to any business, but the locals pretty much do. Employers seem to forget that there is an intimate relationship between the employee and the customer and that one cannot survive without the other.
Too many times I have heard “the customer is always right” … hardly! The employer will always use this line as a leverage tool over the employees: “Without the customer YOU don’t have a job.” Employers seem always not to apply common sense by remembering that without the employees the customers will not get what they want. So in order to make a customer happy and loyal the prices must be favorable, customer service outstanding, quality exceptional, and the store must be inviting. Please, employers, no more layoffs unless your employees are awful and need replacing or your business is going to collapse, but let people know in advance to be fair to them and their families. I can’t imagine what people do when they lose their jobs and have homes to pay off, autos to pay off and their children to feed.
Thank you for your time, and by the way I am now employed with a great company here in Bend.
Pam
This article appears in May 8-14, 2008.
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From the employers point of view, prior notice of an impending layoff would be counter productive. If an employee knew they going to be laid off, they might leave before the employer was ready for that to happen. The business comes first. Keeping employees on when there is no need for them is called stupid. Excessive employees is one of the fastest ways to break a business.
I suggest you go start a business of your own. You will change your tune immediately… or go belly up.
Thank you for your overwhelming compassion Mr./Ms. Belza. The sentiments displayed in your paragragh are just one of the reasons that the business world now finds itself in the downward spiral of failure. Iknow…I know…..it’s all about the money. Beware all of you who are “excessive” employees.
c.t. Belza, I dont suppose you ever heard of severance either, great businesses are formed on good employee and employer relationships. If you had to layoff for a period of time, would any of your people come back to you if they didnt have too? just a thought.
Having been on both sides of the fence–how many employers receive advance notice from employees that they are looking for employment elsewhere? How many times have I been faced with a one or two week notice that an employee is going elsewhere–and I am left to fend for myself–hiring and training an employee in a skill set that would best be explained by the individual now gone?
These are the realities of the business relationship between employee and employer. It is not perfect–and usually involves harsh economic realities with tough emotional components for both the employee and employer. Most of us are not Trump-like, taking pleasure in saying ‘You’re fired!’ Most of us know our staff–their needs and families–and the impact that a lay-off will have when it is necessary. I have never enjoyed it–and the recession is putting most employers in a position where it is a necessary step.
Belza may have poorly chosen his words, but what else can you call workers who are no longer able to produce because the demand for their product or service no longer exists? It is about money–money that goes to creditors, employees, taxes and (if I’m lucky) to me, too. Unfortunately, I am always the last in this list of priorities. Yet, if I do well enough with the first three–then maybe I’ll do better with the last.