Doesn't anyone want to work anymore

I guess I wouldn't rush around to clean

Dick Coers

septic tanks either. Always wondered how that would even be a career choice? We had hogs on our farm growing up, that smell could stick to you for days. I've heard stories about regions where folks just are a little more independent, and work at their own pace. Maybe you're in that kind of neighborhood?

Re: I guess I wouldn't rush around to clean

Lan Brady

Seems to be everywhere. We requested bids to remodel a bathroom. First 4 never got back with a quote. We contracted with #6. His promised 3 week completion is now on on Week 9 and not complete. He is doing great work but just one day a week!

Good Luck, Lan

Re: Doesn't anyone want to work anymore

David Walser

John -- I suspect you're seeing the results of a combination of a couple of changes in our society. Technology creates the illusion that businesses don't need someone to answer the phones. As a result, too many business people are responsible for both doing the work (which is still a full time job) and responding to voice mails and emails about new work (which can also be a full time job). My firm recently got rid of my secretary "because I don't need one anymore". I spend a lot of my day responding to voice mail and email and, frankly, don't get to all of them in a timely manner. I simply cannot do that and still get my "real" work done.

Second, business activity is much more highly regulated than it was even 5 years ago. This makes it more expensive to take on new work. The transaction costs of taking on a new customer make some smaller jobs unprofitable. Many businesses have yet to figure out how to respond. Hiring a new employee so they can handle the new work might trigger Obamacare costs that would cripple the business. Similarly, many businesses are trying to figure out how to do business with part-time employees -- again to avoid the new costs mandated for each full-time employee. When government increases the costs of doing something, less of that thing (in this case hiring people) is done. While Obamacare is a significant regulation that impacts hiring and doing business, it's far from the only new regulations imposed by government at the federal, state, and local levels. All translate into higher cost of doing business. Smaller businesses may not be able to afford the teams of attorneys, accountants, and other consultants necessary to comply with this new regulatory burden.

So, does anyone want to work anymore? The answer may be yes, but too often government is telling them they shouldn't work anymore.

Re: Doesn't anyone want to work anymore

robo hippy

Well, from my days in construction, this is the rush season. Every one wants things done before winter sets in.

robo hippy

Re: Doesn't anyone want to work anymore

Josh Bowman

I have 2 dream careers after I retire. 1) start a backhoe company (no intention to own or have one) and schedule jobs but never show up. 2) work at lowes/hd and stand around and not help anyone (this one conceived while picking up tar paper for my shops roof and 2 employees stood there and watched me load the cart with 15 rolls)

Re: Doesn't anyone want to work anymore

Ric Taylor

John, I think you are just going through the adjustment of living out in the country.

My wife and I had planned to build out retirement home in a small town in NE Texas where she was from. She told me many times that she feared that I would have a lot of frustration trying to adjust to that small town out in the country lifestyle.

I got small tastes of it when trying to reach "professionals" by phone with no answer, only to learn that they had quit for the day to go to the little league game, or fishing or hunting. Getting someone to agree to come out to the property on Tuesday meant that maybe they would show up on Friday of the following week.

Unfortunately my wife passed away so I never made that move, but I do have five acres of beautiful wooded land with all utilities in a gated community for sale if anyone is interested.

"season"

Ralph Lindberg

Ya, call a roofer this time of year and see what your response time is....

One of my friends put off roofing until the rains actually started, then he tried to do it himself. While working full-time.

Come Nov his wife decided to fire him and hire a Pro, the roofers had it done in two days, vrs the three weeks he has spent getting very little done.

Yes we have insulation

john lucas

Won't get to work on the walls until next week but I'm really getting excited.

Robo has it...

Ralph Lindberg

Most of them are probably so busy they don't need to worry about returning your call.

Also a number of people in those industries can be, well, casual. Not about working, but about schedule.

Hunting season, take off, go hunting.

Fishing season, take off, go fishing.

Summer vacation. take off, take the kids to the beach/mountains/park

When they show up, they work like beavers. I had a drywall crew that was working on Thanksgiving morning. They brought their portable TV so they could "monitor" the game, while they put mud on the walls. Afternoon, they took off for dinner.

Friday they showed up around noon to sand and put another coat on.

Re: Doesn't anyone want to work anymore

Jeff Smith

I've been going through a similar situation trying to get a shop built on our new property that's in a rural area - it's relatively remote, too, which doesn't help. Appointments that never materialize - with so-called professionals, like geo-engineering firms. Had a visit by the local post and frame construction company about three weeks ago, haven't got a quote from them yet. Ran into their rep on the ferry, he said they just plain forgot.

I'm not buying that it's government over-regulation that's to blame. More like people in business that have no idea of how to run a business, if you ask me. I've had my own business for over 30 years. The cost of doing business has risen over the years, but then so have our rates. The profit margin is directly related to having a handle on costs.

The key to having a thriving small business is to always take care of your customers and never ignore a potential customer, something that's often forgotten in the rush to make a buck.

Re: Doesn't anyone want to work anymore

Bill Turpin in WNC mountains

One of the problems of modern life is too much free money from the government! If people had to be good business people to eat they would be better at it. When you are hungry you will answer the phone.......

Re: Doesn't anyone want to work anymore

Bill Blasic

You are dead on Jeff and with that attitude I imagine your business is thriving!

Re: Doesn't anyone want to work anymore

Barry Irby

Hot topic for me. I think people want to go to a nice comfortable place and go on the internet or play with their phone or talk tot heir coworkers or (my favorite) do team building exercises and forget about the work. I hired guys to throw the debris at a house into the dumpster. They were busy texting and drinking Gator Aid to stay hydrated. Throwing about a dozen Gator Aid bottles and chip bags in the yard. I pointed out I was paying them to clean up, not throw trash around. They appeared baffled. These were high school teachers with the summer off.

Lowe's and HD employees are too busy talking to each other to help anyone.

I bought a Sterling bath tub and one the little feet was missing/mismanufactured. Called the company. Nice young lady said she had no way to ship me a foot because it was supposed to be made as part of the tub. I should take it back to Lowe's. I explained I had borrowed a truck and Paid a friend to help put the tub in the house. She kept asking if there was anything else she could do for me? She did not seem to grasp she had done nothing.

Been waiting for three weeks for the heat pump. It goes on and on. Back when things were slow contractors thought they should charge twice as much because they had half as much work. Now if they are busy they think they should charge more because they can.

WOW!

Don Orr

That shop is looking great! You should be nice and warm there this winter if it gets very cold down there. Now take the weekend off and go have some turning fun.

I'd blame the education system before government

Dick Coers

Our basic education system was developed to produce obedient factory workers. We had to train at least a couple generations to work in factories instead of farm. Now they try to prepare students to become managers and lawyers, or some job that requires a college education. There is almost no system that produces students with imagination, hand skills, and business skills. Add in the fact that many children are brought up in a single parent family. This country is training people to take hand outs, not training them to succeed! Google Seth Godin if you want to read about revamping the education system.

Education begins at Home!

John Veerkamp

Social expectations also play a huge role. The "entitlement" many kids today expect comes from parents first and then from peers, movies, TV , face book etc. just complete the ruination. I probably should have just let this pass, but I spent too many years in and around education to blame schools.

Re: Doesn't anyone want to work anymore

Don in Central Illinois

Still waiting on bids to paint my house. O well, its only been a month. Maybe by Halloween.

Septic tank guy never showed

john lucas

He said he would be here at 10 am. Never saw him and couldn't reach him by either number. I left a message to cancel and called another plumber. They at least had a secretary to answer phones so I feel better about them coming. Said they would be here tomorrow around 3. Of course I'll be in Georgia doing a demo about then so I won't even be able to answer the phone if something comes up. Hopefully it will be straight forward and my wife can handle it.

Re: Education begins at Home!

Dick Coers

Were you a teacher John? All I can remember about my classes was endless memorization. Luckily they invented multiple choice so I could at least make an educated guess if my memory slipped. Industrial Arts was the exception, where I actually learned some skills. It was also the only place I could be creative, and learn the consequences of my actions and decisions. All the other classes were just about a grade. The same skill I needed in my industry job for the year end review. I would have preferred a school like The North Bennett School. A place started to teach manual skills to immigrants. Living on a farm lets me agree with you that learning starts at home. I hated farming, but the skills learned have served me well all my life. The main one, was learning the confidence to attempt anything. My Dad died too young for me to thank him for that!

Re: Education begins at Home!

John Veerkamp

Wasn't a teacher. But I was on the school board for 12 years. I have two daughters who have been teaching for 25 and 26 years respectively. The stories are more frightening every year. And these kids will be running our country and operating on our hearts before we know it.

Re: Septic tank guy never showed

Barry L Elder

Maybe he thought you meant "outhouse" and he lost interest and went fishing!