Some of my friends who are also business owners and I are struggling to find people who want to work. When we hire people, they don’t know how to work. What do we do?This is a question I’m hearing across the nation. While some people have a great work ethic, others do not.
What are the issues? There are at least two key issues to examine. One is, do people want to work? If they don’t or are not committed, most of the time that’s learned behavior. They haven’t been taught at home or at school that it is their “job” to contribute to the family and activities they participate in. People are doing too much for them, and they have few if any responsibilities.
Having a healthy work ethic is the role of parents, teachers and coaches to teach. As an employer, you need to interview people to learn what their work ethic is. If that is lacking, find out what they do commit to: sports, dance, music, volunteering in the community? What do they contribute to that they may have developed responsibilities and discipline? Make a decision to hire based on their answers.
Two, if people haven’t had a history of working, contributing, following through, and supporting and serving others, it’s up to you to explicitly communicate your expectations. Also, the need for training is essential. Learning about the work, the mindset, the information flow, and how to serve customers quickly and with high quality, is the foundation that you will need to have a successful work culture.