Good morning! I'm on the train into work and it's freezing here. Even on the train I'm putting my jacket over my legs. I don't do well in the cold. I'm happy when there's sunshine and I'm sad when there isn't.
Did I tell you guys my boss quit a few days ago? I think I mentioned it. Anyway, the schedule for the next few weeks is going to be hectic, but it looks like they already have someone in mind for the job. I hope she's good and likes me and my vision for the store we're going to run.
But this could be an opportunity to get some new blood in here and make real change. Our store could be unbelievably successful with the right leadership. I love my boss, but this was her first time as a SM and she was too lenient in my opinion. Maybe the next girl will be less up for nonsense like call outs and no shows and girls who are disrespectful. My boss had her team and she didn't make a point of helping me integrate, and it caused a ton of tension. This girl will demand that I be treated with respect.
Yesterday there was a snowstorm so my boss and I sat in the store looking at memes and laughing a ton. We talked about how maybe fifty percent of the girls we'd hired did things like not show up for shifts, not finish their work, take a “15” but then sit downstairs for 20 minutes. Push the limits.
And how the girls we've taken to hiring now are so readily hardworking, so readily respectful and punctual and who already know the etiquette. I don't have to tell them to be here on time. Being here on time is part of their lives already. My boss worked last night with one of the new girls and instead of the usual texts I get, like “Ugh, I had to show her how the drawers need to look like five times,” I'm hearing, “OMG I love this girl.”
All the girls we've hired save one are really blowing me away. Maybe I've learned what to look for. But in my last posting about race and hiring, where I talked about it more, I pointed out that culture is a huge part of it.
I need to find girls with a good work ethic. Maybe I should talk a little about what that is and how it presents itself and why employers look for it.
When I was younger, one of the first terms I can ever remember my dad trying to teach me was work ethic. Loosely described, someone's work ethic is how we talk about and measure their willingness and desire to be useful and industrious, regardless of reward.
The kind of people who actively try to be valuable players in their field. The people who behave as though the working world is a competitive place and they want to compete and do well. The ones who maybe got a job because they needed the money, but also because being without work makes them feel sluggish and unhappy.
When I started my last job this spring, I technically didn't need one, but I liked to have money. At the time, I thought maybe if I had more funds my husband might want me back. Even though he'd been without a job for almost two years and I was the one who suggested he start looking for the fancy job he has now. Edited his resume and found him the right numbers. Talked him through the commute. Insisted he get new clothes for the interview.
So I was living at home and I wanted to work. I needed something to occupy my time. I couldn't stand just sitting at home all day with everyone banging on my door.
After I met my boyfriend and my confidence started to build up again as I put together a savings account and started to think about the future, I realized I could get a job in the city since I live so close to the train station. I was wanting to move out and rent a room in the city for a while but I couldn't afford it at this job.
So I started looking and I found this one, and now between the two of us we can afford a small place.
I have always had a good work ethic, and I know how to make myself valuable on a team. On a selling team, it's possible to do this if you generally have good numbers, or if you train others very well. I do both of these. I also minimize the things that might make me less useful. I'm not the most beautiful so I try to keep things stylish. I wear and use any products and items that I want to become good at selling. I am short so I make sure to wear heels. I have a quiet voice so I practice projections. I'm aware of my weaknesses and negate them with whatever I can.
The thing that makes me most desirable as an employee though is my open availability. Days, nights, weekends, holidays, I have no problem getting here or staying here until the work is done. Another candidate may be more qualified or ask for less pay, but they also might not be able to be here when you need them. Might not be willing to cover extra shifts. Might not be willing to do a double when needed.
So a lot of girls we've tried to hire prove immediately that they have a poor work ethic. They are unprofessional (that's an easy way to tell) in that they do not create open lines of communication. They randomly tell us they're busy today and won't be coming to work, or just don't show up at all. On the flipside, the rest of the girls are communicative, polite, respectful, and wouldn't dream of just not showing up for a shift.
A poor work ethic gets you exactly what you actually want: no job. I just wish people who didn't want a job didn't waste my time applying for one.
I recommend getting a good work ethic. It'll help you in literally anything you want to do in life. Of course, we don't really know yet if this part of the personality is malleable or if you need to develop it by an early age. If the former, it is probably closely associated with industriousness, which is a personality trait that often comes with being conscientious. Maybe you can't just conjure that up. Maybe you're lucky if you get it.
I do think that nature has a huge part to play in our upbringing and how we turn out. Nature vs. nurture is an old argument but I believe two sides to the same coin.
Still, if you don't have a good work ethic, I recommend faking it a while. For a day, just pretend that you're a hard worker who delights in things being done and done well. Act as if your job is important to you and that you take pride in it. Treat your coworkers as though you respect them and want the best for them. If you like how the day turns out, try it for a week. Watch your life unfold.
