The Ethics of Ethic

It's been an interesting and long weekend. Rather enjoyable, too. Though I had to work Saturday, I did get Sunday off to spend with my honey. I also got to finish a nice set of gloves - and none too soon!



Very quickly, they are a set of fingerless gloves with a mitten top that flips over to cover the fingers. I don't know what they are formally called, but I love them! I finished knitting them just in time, because it is supposed to snow today! The first real snow of the season...



But on to ethics:



I guess, as I get older, I am starting to feel more and more like my parents. It's true. They raised me well on our little farm in central PA. I was brought up to finish a job when I start it, not be afraid to try new things, always use my manners, and act professionally when called for.



Do people still raise their children this way???



I know many of my generation try to mimic their parents, but there is a new generation of parents out there now. When did they stop caring if their children act like idiots in public?



My gripe comes from going back to work on Monday after my nice Sunday off... *sigh*



On returning to work Monday morning I discovered that half the Sunday staff called out or resigned. Not the best of things to walk into, but a curiosity none the less. The couple of people that called out are understandable. They never do and we've had some pretty drastic weather changes - I've got the sniffles, but some have got worse.



On the other hand, the two that resigned were brand-new. One only worked 2 shifts, the other hadn't even worked one yet!



My thought is that if you are looking for a part-time job, you need the extra money. You already have an idea of what you need to get and how to get it. You also, usually, have an idea of how much extra work you can handle. If not, you start out slowly and pick up extra hours as you get used to the extra work load. It is also a good idea to see if your primary job will allow for a part-time position elsewhere. Finally, if you are looking at several options for the part-time job, let an interviewer know. I'd like to be prepared if someone is holding out for a different position and my offer is secondary to them.



Am I wrong on any of this?



One of these guys, the one that had worked for a couple of shifts, was actually working out for us. He seemed to be very professional, displayed good customer service and was an all-around nice guy. Then he decides to just not show up for his shift on Saturday.



OK. One freebie. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for the first time, but don't let it happen again. You might not have read the schedule correctly. Time got past you and you might be on your way - late, but coming to work. You are waiting on the bus or train and their is a massive delay - that's a popular one in DC. But there is no real excuse for not showing up and not calling!



When I called him three hours later, I got the excuse that he was across town and wouldn't be able to make it in. I should have known better at the time, but the first time benefit of the doubt thing kicked in. I can be too nice.



Fine, we'll get through, but so you know - you work tomorrow and next Saturday at such-and-such times. Which he was not planning on showing up for. Luckily, there was a call on Sunday to let us know he was quitting.

Now the other one that quit...

This one went through the interview process and passed. He seemed to be like a good guy and very personable. He even came in to fill out his final paperwork and get into payroll so we could get him started. We scheduled him for his first training shift and Boom! He gave us a call on that day - Sunday - to let us know he wouldn't be able to join us, because he got a better offer someplace else.

I don't know about you, but if I'm interviewing for a job and I've got several interviews, I let the people I'm talking with know that there is competition out there. I feel it is a sign of respect for them to make them aware that if their offer is good enough, I will choose them if I get the opportunity. I also let them know in case I choose to go with a different offer.

We had no knowledge of any other offer he might have had! Big surprise for us!

Why is it? Do these people don't believe in respect any more? Have they no ethics when it comes to joining with a company? When they do get the job, could they show us the respect of actually working for the money they are getting paid?

That's another one of my irks! If you are getting paid to do a job, why not actually work for it?

One of our other lovely employees is avoiding just that... There are some people out there that will do only the bare minimum to get a job done... believe it or not! I just can't imagine going to my job and just hanging out or not caring if the job gets done or is done properly. I'm getting paid, so I'm going to earn it - no matter how little I'm getting for it.

So this poor guy is wondering why his hours are getting cut. We ask him to do the simplest thing and it turns into the hardest task in the world. Everything needs to be spelled out to the letter. Cleaning, sweeping, mopping, putting a stack of books away. You name it and we'll have to tell him every step of how to do the task and we'll still be told that we didn't tell him to do part of it.

Oh, but thinking about it is just making me upset.

Think about happy things...

On the way to work this morning I had a wonderful experience. Snow was forcast for today. As I left the house, I could tell that the weather was trying to do something. If I looked up into the streetlights, I could see small frozen drops misting around. I could hear a bit of crunching as I walked over the slowly crystalizing ice droplets under my feet. And as I approached the park I pass through, I could see the first of the beautiful fluffy flakes drifting down among the trees. I could count them falling - 1... 2... 3... 4.. 5.. 6. 7. 8 9. They started falling more frequently. By the time I got to the other end of the park, the sky was filled with fluffy lovelyness.

I had just witnessed the beginning of a snowfall. I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful for quite a while.

This is the happy thought that helped me get through the rest of the day.

There is nothing like the clean surface of a newly-fallen snow...