Can't Find Employees? Just Hire Children.

This is America

Photo by malte on Unsplash.

As the world emerged from the COVID pandemic, I had this naive glimmer of hope.

Maybe those of us that risked our lives and went to work every day so the rest of the population, staying at home, could buy sunscreen and flour would get some respect. Maybe we'd even get a raise. We'd at least get a "Thank you!" Right?

Right?

Nope.

We didn't. Companies raked in profits, threw Doritos at us, and then told us we weren't getting our full raises.

Customers complained that wait times were long and that the person over there wasn't wearing a mask. Or they were, and that was bad. I can't even remember now, but it was always an issue. 

I finally told a customer that I don't get paid to police what other people are or are not doing about masks. She looked shocked. Then she took another look at my face and realized I was deadass. In that one-second interaction, she saw the previous two years of struggle flash across my face, and she realized she better not proceed.

She walked away.

Want to know what the funny thing is? Want to know what is so hilarious about being wrong? 

I am fucking wrong again.

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The past year has continued to be a struggle for people on the frontline because companies are having a hard time finding people to work. Huh. I wonder why. (see above).

Again, I thought companies would have to change how they treat their employees. They'd have to pay them more and act like they cared about their well-being to attract talent. 

Nope. I guess they don't. Not when they can hire literal children to do the work instead. 

"MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Lawmakers in several states are embracing legislation to let children work in more hazardous occupations, longer hours on school nights and in expanded roles including serving alcohol in bars and restaurants as young as 14." - KPBS dot org. 

Okay. Let me just stand up and tell you something because I employed sixteen-year-olds for almost all of my two-decade-long retail career. I was an excellent, caring boss that followed stringent California labor laws to a T.

However,

EMPLOYERS ARE (for the most part) FUCKING AWFUL, and THEY WILL ABSOLUTELY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS. 

Young people new to the job world do not know the laws. Employers shove meal period waivers in among all the new hire paperwork and make kids sign them. Then, they stick them at a hostess stand for six hours straight with no breaks. 

My employees told me horror stories of what happened to them at other companies. 

"The consequences are potentially disastrous," said Reid Maki, director of the Child Labor Coalition, which advocates against exploitative labor policies. "You can't balance a perceived labor shortage on the backs of teen workers." - KPBS. 

Yeah, no shit.

I'd love to make it mandatory for every eighteen-year-old to work one year in a customer-facing job before they do anything else with their lives. Either that or join the military for a year - your choice. But that will never happen. 

This is America, and you can't tell us what to do. 

We'll just hire kids so we don't have to look in the mirror and fix the actual problem. 

Corporations and American politics have let me down again. Surprise, surprise. This is why we Gen X-ers are so cynical. You know that, right?

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MAILBOX

This landed in my DMs recently. 

"My company said they wouldn't grant me my full raise amount even though my performance has been stellar. I had to go back and fight for the full amount."

Ugh. Why make people go through this? Do better, companies. 

This is infuriating. I've lived this scenario and was too tired to fight for more. I'd lost my entire management team that year so I was doing everything myself and then training three new people to catch up and take over what I was doing.

When my boss told me she had to give me .5% less of a raise because my store's email capture didn't improve, all I could do was stare at her blankly and say, "Okay. I get it."

I didn't get it. 

I was one of the best store managers they had, doing incredible work. But I had no energy left to argue. Honestly, I was also afraid of what it would do to my career. God forbid I push back or rock the boat. I wanted to be seen as a team player. Amiable. I still wanted a promotion. 

For fuck's sake. I hate the thought of me sitting there, exhausted, too tired, and afraid to ask for more. To ask for what I deserved. 

I forgive myself for it now. I did what I thought was right. I did what I thought I had to in order to play the game and set myself up for leadership freedom in the future. I got the freedom. Good raises, not so much. 

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LEVEL UP

One thing you can do today to be a better leader.

Be very clear about what your support leaders are in charge of. 

Let them own specific tasks so you can take them off your plate. It's okay if they make mistakes. When they do, they'll learn and won't do it again.

Most store leaders are working too hard. They try to do everything themselves because they perceive it to be faster, but in reality, it's not. You end up running around, working late, and burning out.

Establishing divisions of responsibility with your leadership team will take some time, but it's time well spent. 

It will help them grow as leaders and forge a stronger partnership between all of you. 

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I HAVE BIG NEWS

I can't believe I held out this long to tell you.

My book, The Retail Leader's Field Guide, is now available in paperback. 🤓
AND it is #1 on Amazon under New Releases in Leadership Training.

This is the how-to handbook you wish your company had given you. I spill all my best practices for running productive, cohesive teams. 

Get it Now. 

(That's the US link. If you're in another country, leave a comment, and I'll get you the link for your country.) 

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ALSO

Now that the book is finished, I'm creating a community for retail leaders where you can 

✅ Be yourself
✅ Ask any question
✅ Get support from other leaders (and me)

I'll also host a video hangout once a month where I'll do a short training, and we can all chill out, ask questions, and talk after. 

This group is still in the works. I'm researching the technical details right now, but if you want to be the first in line, reply to this email, and I'll get you on the list. 

It's going to be rad. See you there. 

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Thank you for reading. If you dig my writing, please share this email. 

Click the 🖤 so more people can discover this on Substack.

You're the absolute best.