Lindsey Novak has it wrong in “Fire Those Who Deserve It”: https://www.creators.com/read/at-work-lindsey-novak/02/22/fire-those-who-deserve-it
This is what I wrote her:
The Dallas Morning News published your column of this name on Sunday, February 13, 2022.
I am following the “Great Resignation” with great interest. I am 70 years old and have spent 50 years working in the United States in companies big and small. Following the pandemic, the overworked and underpaid service workers have, at least many of them, decided the abuse they take, the poor working conditions they endure, the lack of respect and support from management, are simply not acceptable any longer.
I take issue with how the letter-writer’s complaints were addressed.
My purpose is not to excuse any and all misbehavior but to advocate for a more nuanced view of what’s going on with work.
For example, the writer complained about the waitress [sic] apparent inattentiveness. Before blaming the employee, let’s find out if the restaurant was adequately staffed. Waitstaff (better term) can reasonably serve a limited number of tables at one time. If the owner doesn’t put enough people on the floor, the staff will be overworked and unable to provide good service. The harried server, trying to take care of too many tables/patrons, will be prevented from delivering good service.
Further, are they paid a living wage? Does the employer steal their tips? How are the employees treated? Is the shift adequately staffed?
Can we imagine this business owner responding to a customer complaint about that service? Would that manager be reflective of their own practices or blame the employees? Can we reasonably assume the employer would put in the effort to discover that more servers should have been on the floor? We know the answers.
I wish you had at least mentioned some of these points in your response instead of agreeing with everything the letter writer said and explaining how to effectively get someone canned.
I just picked this situation with the “waitress” [sic] as the most obvious. Sure the ice cream server was in the wrong. The shirt shouldn’t have been stained with ink and the ruined suit should have been compensated.
What’s the common denominator in all of these? Low-paid, likely minimum wage, service employees who are poorly trained, overworked, and in many cases laboring for employers who don’t care about them. They are forced to work when sick, have no or little PTO or sick days, and therefore have no choice. Many work multiple jobs to eat.
Let’s advocate something that hasn’t been done in our so-called best country in the world, and promote the idea that we pay service people adequately and treat them with respect. If you pay someone the minimum, you’re telling them that you’d pay less if you could. That’s some twisted logic as a way to generate caring employees.