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As I glance at our society today in 2022, I can’t help but notice something I’d like to share with other business owners, entrepreneurs and hustlers. It seems like everyone is a “boss” and every startup is the next big thing. Between the constant emails from new companies that pop up every day to the over-animated voice messages, it seems our communications now all hang on the threads of annoyance.
From my perspective, it feels like honesty has taken a back seat and that everyone is out to make a quick buck. Money has a way of dressing up in such a way that makes people fall deeply in love with it. Lying and manipulation are just some of the things that people are willing to do for the powerful dollar bill. But there is one thing that sits on the top of the list. In my honest opinion, it seems that what some individuals are not willing to do for money is “work hard.” Has hard work become overrated in the society we live in?
I cannot answer these questions for every human being, but I can speak through the lens of my observation. Daily, on my way to my bookstore, Darick Books, I stop by Panera Bread to get my morning drink. When I get there, I always see a sign on the door that apologizes to the customers for the shortage of staff due to the pandemic. This is not just at my Panera, but at many stores and restaurants across the nation. As an entrepreneur and business owner, I see this as a massive problem: when you can’t find workers to keep your company going. If companies have no workers to help expand their customers, platform and agenda, then how will the world of business last?
The old way of work was to get up early every morning, punch in the clock, work hard, then punch out the clock and go home only to repeat the same action daily. On the contrary, today someone can just roll over on their bed, grab their computer and get to work without leaving their comfort. Who is working harder?
Many equate working hard with the physical and not the mental. I always saw my father getting up early in the morning and returning later, looking tired — and I saw that as hard work. But I have learned from personal experience that being on the computer for anything from checking emails to participating in Zoom calls, to researching can be very hard work as well. There is nothing wrong with hard work, but it becomes a problem when workers are hard to find.
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Has the work model of today caused a great shift in the ability to find hard workers? Is it easier to be an entrepreneur in this day than it was in the past 30 years?
These are just some questions that I throw out to my readers. I run a business, and I outsource experts who do and know things I don’t. I may not hire these individuals for a daily 9-to-5 job but rather for a job that could take three hours or a couple of months. But other businesses, like Panera or Subway, that need daily workers may find deeper issues when it comes to finding employees. Employee expectations may not fit into the new model of workers who just pull out their computers and promote businesses on social media. So, how can companies adjust?
The biggest step is accepting that the name of the game has changed and to evolve alongside the new way of working. Conduct employee surveys to get a sense of employee sentiment and identify any gaps you can work on. I don’t have the answers to everything. I am an observer and I write about those things that bring curiosity to my mind and others. But I think collaboration can truly be the element we need to ensure this new working world can succeed. We need to build our companies on trust, transparency and authenticity.
Interaction and collaboration with people does wonders for mood. I must leave my bookstore sometimes during the day just to get some fresh air and it revives me. But when I scam the perimeters of those trying to make it big in the world of business, I find it very saddening that some are trying to no avail to be overnight entrepreneurs — who have abandoned the outside world of companies that have been around for decades.
Survival instincts can sometimes cause individuals to create false promises or even companies that manipulate others in an effort to get that mighty dollar. So, my question becomes: Who, really, is working hard? Are you?
I believe that hard work never hurt anyone — if the hard work is honest. I say a prayer for those who have businesses and those businesses that are trying to survive. I am with you in the struggle. Keep it honest, keep it evolving and never give up.
