Hi there! I've been kicking around some ideas that I'd like to share just to get some feedback.
It's a list of basic demands that all employers should match to be considered valuable as employers. I've included my notes underneath each entry.
- Basic dignity. An employee must not be compelled by threat of termination to wear something that makes them uncomfortable physically or mentally, impedes their work, or carries negative social perception within the company or to the public.
(I used to work at a staples, and one of the back to school seasons my manager had a brilliant idea. He required employees to wear a backpack with school supplies in it, and when people asked about it, we were to sell them all the cool trendy supplies.
The backpacks had no back support, weighed 5 lbs, and caused back pain. We looked stupid, and it didn't increase sales.
The only exception to this is jobs wearing a costume… because that's the point of the job.)
- Employees should be provided with basic uniforms at no cost, the uniforms should fit well, and if they do not, the company will immediately order clothing that fits for the employee.
(I had the nickname nips at my staples job because they didn't bother buying a larger shirt for me…. feels bad man)
- No commission no sales.
If a position solely focuses on salesmanship, and doesn't have a cash incentive for success. They will not receive sales.
(At staples I'd actively tell people to not buy computers from us, I'd downsell products, and I'd give my honest opinion about the computers I sold.
If you are not paid for success, do not go over the top to get it.)
- An employee must be given a regular schedule with at least 12 hours between scheduled shifts unless the employee is compensated for it, or allowed to leave early/come in late.
(I currently work at a hotel and store. I went to my boss one night and pointed out I'd been scheduled for a death shift, one with only 8 hours of rest between shifts.
His response: “we'll get you a room”
I nearly cried, it wasn't fun, but they at least helped, and I'd never had that at staples)
- If an employee has a family emergency, the response from the manager should be “I'll drive you home, don't worry”
Not: “can't you stay until your shift ends?”
(Again, basic human decency, my dad took his own life while I was at work.
I was offered a ride home, and given 3 weeks off without question. I came back on my own accord because my team had a covid exposure, they didn't leave me hanging when I needed them, I returned the favor.)
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Sick pay and vacation time is mandatory for a full time job.
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When an employee requests vacation days, it is not a request, it is a notice of unavailability, it is not in your power as a manager to ruin their vacation.
(So the only nice thing that staples did was they used a Callender to request days off, you'd basically request a week, and you could coordinate with your coworkers to make sure you didn't overlap)
- An employee's time is theirs to use. If you schedule someone off, they have the right to that time without any penalty.
Instead of calling in employees for coverage on days off, fix your broken scheduling.
(I took a camping trip when I was at staples because I had four days off in a row [don't work for staples.] when I returned home, I found that my manager slashed my hours because “You weren't available”)
- An employee is entitled to a fair wage for their work.
(My personal rule of thumb is that am employee should be able to shop at whatever company they work at [excluding manufacturing jobs]
Someone who works at a car dealership should be paid enough to drive a mid grade car.
Someone who works for Nike should be able to afford their clothing.
Someone who works at Apple should be paid enough to be able to pay cash for a midrange iPhone)
- An employee's wages must match (normalized) inflation automatically. After that, raises are added.
So tell me what you think, I'd love to hear your guy's thoughts on my basic rules for employers. I'm planning on publishing a book at some point, I think it'd be interesting.