Self-fulfilling Prophecies:
Clearly with businesses like MFI and Woolworths going to the wall, we should learn to dig deeper to understand why this is happening. On the one hand it is because the banks / credit insurers cancelled agreements, but that on the other hand suppliers wouldn’t trust these major businesses to pay them after the run up to Christmas. So greed and fear won the day, and yes, the suppliers haven’t been paid – they have now lost a lot of business! Well I have no sympathy for the banks and suppliers who have forced these closures, a true Self Fulfilling Prophecy!! Might it be their turn next?
Arrogance is for Aardvarks who are now extinct:
A friend told me, that the other day, as a Christmas present for his sons and grandsons, he decided to buy 2 sets of those colourful men’s swimming trunks with matching ones for the two babies – adorable! This was a purchase of some £350 – so no small present. However, when he asked if there was a discount, the man in the Vilebrequin shop in the Fulham Road said: ‘Oh we never give a discount – we don’t need to!’ At which point my friend apparently said: ‘Ah, I see you are not given the authority to give a discount – how short sighted of your Senior Managers’. Yes, my friend bought the swimming trunks, but he was disgusted by this attitude. Two things come to mind, that this was a foolish and arrogant statement by that young man in the shop – and maybe Vilebrequin isn’t recession-proof: which the management team and the young shop assistant will find out – if he still has a job in a year’s time.
Each business leader and management team has to ensure their staff is fully briefed about the economic situation, so that they may each and individually use their best judgement to get the maximum out of each sales transaction. This may include giving minor discounts – to those who ask, and why not?? Arrogance is for those Aardvarks who became extinct thousands of years ago because they could not mutate / develop to survive the world they found themselves in. Nothing has changed in that respect.
There is no room for Parasites at this time of Change:
Change takes time to settle into our psyche, and some people are much more resistant to change than others – partly driven by their personality, partly by their conditioning or experiences but also by the information available to them. Back in the summer of 2007, the housing market stated to wobble – exacerbated by the press and media who seemed to take delight in fuelling the disturbing news. Now we are faced with some unpalatable truths, that businesses will only survive if they encourage the creative and imaginative staff – and those who can’t get on this wagon – will be out of the door.
Earlier this week I was in Cardiff, running a seminar for the IIP Club (organisations who have either got the Standard, or are working towards it). One Executive expressed his concerns that if he shared more information (including financial issues) with all the staff, too many would panic and leave. Apart from the fact that it is wonderful there are staff sufficiently confident they can walk out of one job and into another, there is also a very evident gap in their understanding of the current situation – and their current employer is probably well shot of these foolish people: let them go!!!!!! This is survival of the quickest, swiftest and – intelligent!
Trade Unions: facilitators – or dinosaurs??
More concerning still though are the grave concerns I have over the TUs contribution to support employers through this economic situation. The attitude some employers described was that the TU Representatives were fighting against innovative solutions to save jobs by demanding more pay, benefits and rights. (and in the deal described – the staff would have had a 14% pay increase – seems reasonable to me!) This is unbelievable. Is it remotely possible the Trade Union Congress Executive would support this out-dated, and recalcitrant step? I have more faith in their eye for the future – but it really worries me that they too, have a huge education and communication exercise to undertake very quickly, to help their Reps be current and up-to-date before they put their members’ futures on the scrap heap.
- Have those TU Reps properly canvassed their members?
- Are the employers sending out their own detailed information to their staff to ensure their staff know the full and real financial situation?
- Can any employer countenance this exposure to risk?
- Isn’t this a matter of a few selfishly, greedy people fighting for themselves – with no consideration of colleagues, fellow workers, or their community?
Could your ignorance put jobs at risk?
Government, Employers, the TUs and Consultative groups must get together to work this through. It is terrifying that ignorance could actually put 100s or 1000s of people’s lives at risk because: ‘we’re doing you a favour, mate, by being prepared to work these hours / at this rate of pay / we want a cost of living increase / etc’. I am not advocating employers abuse the minimum wage, or the minimum statutory employment rights – but I do think we need to bring reason and logic into play.
Everything we ever knew about work should be seen to be ‘up for grabs’. No one has the right to a job, nor an income, nor income support. No one should believe that they can contribute nothing to their employer – and expect to get any benefits – and not be held accountable, somewhere or somehow. We seem to have hit a seam of such Nanny-stating, that there really are people in Britain who genuinely believe they are owed a living and need not take responsibility for their own lives. We all have a responsibility to help any misguided people understand, that NO, that is not the case, but that we all have a responsibility to ourselves, our families and our communities to grasp the nettle, now, and at least have a go at making a positive step towards a way out of this economic situation.
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