Warm Bodies
The fast food joints here are offering cash rewards for new employees. The bounty at one place is $200. Judging from the encounters I have had with both new and long-time (usually four weeks or so) employees, respiration seems to be the only absolute requirement for hiring.A lot of us have worked at fast food or other menial jobs early in life. As I recall, my friends and I were able to count change, handle requests for no mustard, and smile while doing it. Nowadays, you seldom even get eye contact because the clerk is busy studying the cash register buttons looking for the proper picture icon. Last week I tried to order a Wendy\’s Frescata sandwich and I thought the poor kid would have a nervous breakdown looking for \”Fresca\” on the key pad. The manager finally stepped in and saved him.
Of course, every generation looks back nostalgically on how things weren\’t. (\”Kids. What\’s the matter with kids today? Why can\’t they be like we were, perfect in every way? What\’s the matter with kids today?\” From the movie Bye Bye Birdie, 1963.) So maybe my griping about lousy service at fast food places is overdone. If I want good service I should go to a nicer place with more skilled employees - although price alone does not always guarantee good service.
People in our industry are competing for the more competent young people, who seem in such short supply. If the folks in fast food are offering cash rewards for warm bodies, we\’re going to have to figure out some workable incentives to attract people with skills or, failing that, at least the ability to learn.
This definitely deserves study. I think it could be the tip of a dangerous iceberg. It may not be as simple as it seems. I think kids are mostly the same going back to our youth, but times have changed. So has the population, i.e., fewer kids but more fast-food consumers. There are better jobs available for the more capable kids, including self-employment (besides lawn=mowing). Lots of these places probably far enough away from residential that car is needed to get to work. I also think parents may be less than encouraging. Then you also need to get into the whole immigration demographics too. Like I said, more than meets the eye. Hey, you need to check out the frozen lean cuisines: cheaper, better for you, almost as fast, and you’ll get appreciation from the cook if you offer a nice compliment, or a good tip.
Attracting young people to the industry is a very large issue in my mind. I see a lot of people talk about it and the need to address it, but too few that act on it. From what I can tell companies are offering less training than they did in the past. They are more focused on attracting skilled people for their positions. This is a dangerous focus as the boomers retire and we are left to rely on the following generations.
Our industry as a whole should band together and work at ways to reach out to the students of today to gain the workers of tomorrow. With competition for talent from the high growth industries we need to approach this correctly. The print industry is not look at as an attractive industry where high paying potential is just a promotion away. The reality is that the industry offers many good paying positions with exciting new technologies. That message needs to be screamed from every roof top.
The point about the entry level positions compared to the fast food industry is very interesting. If someone can gain a position at McDonalds for $9 per hour and excellent benefits, why would they work for $8 an hour with no benefits?
We need to actively so something. I was a product of my high school printing class, then went on to BOCES, as a cooperative extension programin HS. I started my first job at the company (the one that I now own) and purchased that company at the age of 19. Now 43, we just dontated all our older equipment to a local high school. It was enough to get thier printing program back on it’s feet and enough to give our industry so kids who are looking for work who are already partially trained. Giving back secures our future, but we nned to be creative and involved.