I had the worst boomer boss ever. He paid as little as he could get away with, believed the workers owed him thanks for the employment, had a punitive leadership style where the best way to correct mistakes was to let the worker know they’re the lowest most worthless slime in the universe and also they’re an idiot… and also the man didn’t know how to right click. Had to teach him several times, myself.
While cleaning out the office, my coworker and I discovered a printout of some management strategy I’m sure he paid fortunes for from one of those .com business coach in a box things from the early 00’s. It had steps like “never say ‘thank you’ to a subordinate.” And “lead by fear- make sure they know they could be out of a job at any moment but for your grace” and nonsense like that.
Anyhoo… the pandemic happened, our industry became a LOT more technological, he wanted out, and I wanted to be a business owner. We had one of the most stupid and protracted negotiation periods, but in June of 2022, I purchased the business.
I’ll spare the long story, but the landlady at our prior office used the change in ownership to kick us out, and our new office won’t be ready until 11/1, so we’ve been remote since August. As an r/antiwork worker, I support fully remote work when possible, but as a business owner, the “forced” fully remote period has been a disaster. Work that had been consistent in the office is now inconsistent (quality, consistency, adherence to deadlines, etc), despite zoom, phone, and email QA check-ins. It’s a small 4 person company so there isn’t a manager hierarchy; I need to stay on top of everything, including my own work.
Now that we’re about a week and a half from returning to the office, I wanted to consult this sub to see what I can do to be a “good” employer. Offering fully remote won’t work, but I’m interested in offering a hybrid model with 1-2 days/work week WFH. I make the same hourly as my former boss and the other employee from before my tenure as owner (we all make $25/hr. My coworker was making $15 under the old regime. I was making $17. My boss negotiated into the sale guaranteed employment at $25/hr for 2 years, so I just matched his pay to his two former employees) (admittedly, as much out of spite to take the wind out of his sails as for the humanity of it). The new hire (employee #4) is training at $15 and then jumps to $20 when training concludes. I plan for that to be the model for all new hires. I tell everyone but my former boss (so my former coworker & the new hire) not to “request” time off, but to tell me when they’ll be taking vacations or have events etc. and I’ll work around their absence. I’m transparent about the amount of money the business is making. There’s a job log that I update with income information once payment has been received so everyone can see precisely how much the business has made on a per job and total basis.
I realize I’m the boss and I’ll never escape being bitched about around the water cooler… this isn’t about my ego. It’s about being a “good” employer, insomuch as that’s possible under capitalism. What else can I be doing to embody the spirit of an r/antiwork believer that is also a business owner trying to be successful and provide a service to my clients and a living for my family?