Posted on 03/07/2009 4:44:07 PM PST by MosesKnows
Memo: Job Security
Distribution: To All My Valued Employees
There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company. More specifically, your job. As you know, the changing economy presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country.
However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interest.
First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that, for every business owner, there is a Back Story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last year's Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.
However, what you don't see is the BACK STORY:
I started this company 28 years ago. I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. I converted my entire apartment into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building my company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.
My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I saved went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.
Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week, made a modest $50K a year, and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars, lived in expensive homes, and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like fashion from the 70's. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.
You physically arrive at the office at 9 AM, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5 PM, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. I attach this business to my hip every day like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of my labor -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... you never realize the Back Story and the sacrifices I've made.
Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't. The people who overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed more than a decade of my life for.
Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:
The government taxes me to death and thinks I don't pay enough. I have State taxes, Federal taxes, Property taxes, Sales and use taxes, Payroll taxes, Workers compensation taxes, and Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulates all the accounting that goes with it, which now occupies much of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was. Zero... Nada… Zilch.
The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business or the single mother, sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the real economic stimulus of this country.
The fact is, if I deducted 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants only 50% of their hard work rewarded? Well, I agree, which is why your job is in jeopardy.
Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Guess what would happen if the government mandated I didn't need to pay taxes. Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. You can forget it now.
When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb, thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? No, you defibrillate his heart. Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth.
So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. My reaction will be swift and simple when the governments impose new taxes on me, or my company. I'll fire you and I'll fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem anymore. I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. That destroys my motivation to work and to provide jobs and it will cost me my citizenship.
If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steam-rolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.
Signed,
THE BOSS
>> Some of the posters complained about the way the boss “spoke down”
“You physically arrive at the office at 9 AM, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5 PM”
The guy owns a flower shop and has one employee, his wife.
I think my employees are key to my success. There is no doubt that I chose them and trained them. That I paid them enough to keep them from going elsewhere. And sometimes more than I make. But I think that there are many of them who are in it with me.
I agree that there are those who are not. And I have had to let some of them go this last few months. It's not me vs. my employees. It's more about the employees who have given as much as they have received for the company. Or just did a job that we could all be proud of. Those I will do anything for. The rest are here for the good times and I will have to let them go in the bad times
I see your point but I believe, and now that I recall more of the last time, this letter was speaking in generalities.
We've all seen the slacker attitude in the jobs we've held. From the employers prospective one is too many.
I would also contend that the letter was addressing the people who deserved it, not the employees such as yourself who didn't deserve it and deserved a bonus to boot. (You probably get the special letter).
The attitude that this letter is pointing out is all too common in today's work place, the employer is the enemy because he has money and the employee is the underdog, union mentality, etc.
JMHO for what it's worth.
And she doesn't even show up half of the time :)
And posted it.
O ne
B ig
A ss
M istake
A merica!
LOL, I just got this one today.
Thanks for posting
I have nothing but praise for the CEO who ran the place. I would work for him again in a heartbeat.
I gave this letter to my boss, and the owner last Wednesday.
They loved it.I’m in the RV repair/collision repair of motor homes.Most of the manufacturers have already bankrupted.I was able to go in two hours early, and go in and get overtime on Saturdays.Several employees have already been laid off.My overtime is gone for now.So I voluntarily told them I would do the overtime for free off the clock.I told the other employees if they wanted to help keep the business, and their jobs they might come in at 4:AM with me, I had no takers. What has kept us from going under is doing excellent repairs to make the customer happy, and word of mouth.It’s really scary when we always had forty units waiting for repair, now sometimes the holding lot is almost empty.
Except many of the guys like this would not have raided the pension fund, and there would be money left to spare the employees a hard fall.
So much for the 'my valued employees' bullshit.
Please, do tell.
Too bad. My dad went tinto the oil field back in 1919 direct from a dair farm. He worked as a roughneck for a 12 “tower”, and then overnight kept the boilers going for another company, sleeping besides them, for another twelve hours. This for $10 a day , which was a lot for those days But he sent half of it back home to his mother. He soon worked up to driller and to superindent of a small drilling company. Much the same story for lots of men who went into the oil business. When he was running the show with ten rigs he often spent 48 hours straight on the job, pitching in sometimes by working as a hand when someone failed to show.
you are a smart man
So when the inevitable layoffs became necessary the owner of my company started with all the ones who had Obama stickers on their cars.
He actually told them "What did you expect? You voted directly contrary to the interests of this company."
So with one notable exception all the remaining employees are pretty much hard core conservatives and libertarians.
Hope they enjoy their hope and change.
L
You’ve been metal detecting!
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