I know I am not the only person shaking their head wondering, “What the heck happened?” When I was in corporate American, you either did your job right, or you didn’t have a job. If you didn’t show up for work, you considered yourself fired. But apparently, we care more about being politically correct than actually having the job done right these days. I don’t understand it one bit, and I don’t believe companies are looking at the long-term consequences.
For one, it is YOUR reputation on the line, not that of the employee. When your customers are treated poorly or have to wait hours for service, they stop shopping at YOUR store or quit eating at YOUR restaurant.
As I shared a few months back, I started attending spin classes as a member, not an instructor. I could write an entire blog on all the unsafe things instructors have done. I actually had to laugh out loud the other day as the instructor was grabbing her bike like the steering wheel of a car and shaking it like she was ticked off at the world. Her bike was lifting off the ground! The lesson: don’t spin angry!
Anyway, when fitness instructors are not qualified, lead dangerous classes and don’t instruct class participants, members quit YOUR gym. I get frustrated because these inept instructors are giving all fitness instructors a bad name. Some of us take our role seriously, are trained and certified, and lead safe, effective and fun workouts. Unfortunately, many health clubs and gyms don’t care. They don’t pay their instructors squat and consider them easy to replace. Do you not realize your members have a lot of other choices? You aren’t the only gym around and weights are weights. People join gyms for the classes.
At some point, we have to take the focus off of checking the right PC boxes and hire those who are most qualified. I thought we weren’t supposed to hire based upon skin color, race or sexual preferences, yet here we are…reverse discrimination. It’s tragic and no one is winning.
With inflation so high, you can’t expect your customers to continue accepting poor, inadequate service. If you aren’t paying attention to who you hire, you won’t have to worry about it much longer as you won’t have a business.
I have given up on Walgreens pharmacy. I’ve been with them a very long time, but repeated closures because they don’t have a pharmacist or telling me my prescription is ready only to wait in a huge line to learn it really isn’t ready forced me to take my business to CVS. I never wait, and everyone is professional and helpful.
I recently coached a business owner on how to handle an employee who wouldn’t come back to work after the shutdown. This employee isn’t doing their job, and he didn’t feel he had any options. Um, you are the employer paying for a job to be done. If that job isn’t being done, let her go!
Performance should matter, and we should be hiring those who can do the job and holding people accountable. Period. I don’t know about you, but I get real uncomfortable considering the companies who have decided to hire based upon specific “boxes” as opposed to talent and ability. Do you really want a surgeon who checks a box but doesn’t know what he/she is doing? I certainly do not.
Hiring is challenging, no doubt, but we don’t have a shortage of people. We have too many confusing and detrimental PC hoops to jump through. It is your company, and you can choose to hire those who will drive your business forward. Lowering your standards isn’t the answer.When you have qualified people, your customers will thank you, and your reputation will be intact…and your business will grow.
Need some help? Give me a call, and we can discuss how to best find the right fit for your organization. In the meantime, you might want to read my booklet, Talent Management Guide: How to Recruit the Right Way.
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