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Wolfgang Puck can’t find waiters because of labor shortage


Armybrat

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2 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Best performer on my team is a HS grad with two kids and recently married.  She was a single mom and has the best attitude around.  Humble.  Asks a lot of questions.  Insanely reliable, and genuinely acts like she wants to be here.  Wish I could clone her.  You can carve out a solid career just following this simple template.  Even had another sr leader try to horse-trade for her.  

Well I'll caveat the bolded with an obvious one - if someone asks me the same question more than twice, they are done in my mind.  I don't mean where the same question can have different answers in different context.   I've had people repeatedly ask me what our tax ID number or DUNS number is, even after I've given them a company info sheet to help them fill out forms.  Here's a helpful hint, Milton, if you have to fill out a type of form or provide basic information more than once, you might want to save it for future reference.  

Edited by Judge Roybeanbag
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6 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Well I'll caveat the bolded with an obvious one - if someone asks me the same question more than twice, they are done in my mind.  I don't mean where the same question can have different answers in different context.   I've had people repeatedly ask me what our tax ID number or DUNS number is, even after I've given them a company info sheet to help them fill out forms.  Here's a helpful hint, Milton, if you have to fill out a type of form or provide basic information more than once, you might want to save it for future reference.  

I completely get all that - mine is more of a perspective on their innate curiosity on new subjects, a lack of ego to try and get to the root cause, and the humility to stop, listen, and learn.  

To use a oft overused sports analogy:  they're "coachable" and not a giant headcase or pre-madonna.  Or even a post-Madonna, which is characterized by the crotchal itching and burning....

8 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Here's a helpful hint, Milton, if you have to fill out a type of form or provide basic information more than once, you might want to save it for future reference.  

2014officespace18.gif

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1 minute ago, BabaYaga said:

I completely get all that - mine is more of a perspective on their innate curiosity on new subjects, a lack of ego to try and get to the root cause, and the humility to stop, listen, and learn.  

To use a oft overused sports analogy:  they're "coachable" and not a giant headcase or pre-madonna.  Or even a post-Madonna, which is characterized by the crotchal itching and burning....

2014officespace18.gif

What's frustrating is that over the years, I've seen a couple of people who were really fantastic - they'd figure out repetitive requests from customers quickly and and send me the info already filled out, so I just had to review and sign.  Problem was they were smart enough that they were a threat to their direct managers, so they ended up getting let go eventually, in favor of lackeys.

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6 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

What's frustrating is that over the years, I've seen a couple of people who were really fantastic - they'd figure out repetitive requests from customers quickly and and send me the info already filled out, so I just had to review and sign.  Problem was they were smart enough that they were a threat to their direct managers, so they ended up getting let go eventually, in favor of lackeys.

That's shit leadership.  And short-sided at that.  You want to surround yourself with as much talent as you can and then hold the line for them every step of the way.  If NOTHING else, how can you move on to bigger and better roles if you are unable to replace yourself?  This idea of being "irreplaceable" is career suicide by it's very definition.  Train your horses.  Don't F'ng hobble them.  So stupid.  Get's me spun up.  

These shit leaders who surround themselves with yes-men.  It's how even the biggest organizations fail

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39 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

That's shit leadership.  And short-sided at that.  You want to surround yourself with as much talent as you can and then hold the line for them every step of the way.  If NOTHING else, how can you move on to bigger and better roles if you are unable to replace yourself?  This idea of being "irreplaceable" is career suicide by it's very definition.  Train your horses.  Don't F'ng hobble them.  So stupid.  Get's me spun up.  

These shit leaders who surround themselves with yes-men.  It's how even the biggest organizations fail

Agree it’s shit leadership, and the managers I refer to aren’t exactly ethical when it comes to putting the long-term well being of the company and the customer ahead of their own bonus.  They fail to recognize any balance in that business ecosystem.  Problem is, the punishment is less than the reward in much of the modern management environment.  Unless you’re Wolfgang Puck I guess.  

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There exists a wage that would bring in the needed help for all these places.  right now, paying that amount would piss off their current employees or take bite out of profits if they had to raise everyone's wage.  Then the genie is out of the bottle and the only way to lower wages later is to fire everyone and then hire new people.  They are betting on being able to get by with fewer people while the  labor pool fills in throughout the rest of the year and they can hire cheaper labor more in line with what they were paying.  Plus they get the benefit of crying about it and forcing State gov to cancel benefits for their citizens.

 

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Many years ago when I had the unfortunate experience of inheriting an IT support group to manage I hired a young guy for his first job in the industry.
Dude was previously working a mail room job and was laid off. He was married with two kids, started off as teenage parents armed with only a high school diploma and a family background of a serious case of the poors. Not great ingredients for success. After being laid off he went on unemployment and some other government programs like food stamps. There was one benefit that provided free training at a trade school and he signed up for some basic IT certifications.
During this period of unemployment and government benefits he signed up for a Habitat for Humanity house. He spent his unemployed time in trade school and working on his Habitat house.
The guy was an excellent worker and eager to always learn more. He took advantage of company paid training and mentorship to move ahead and was off all government programs pretty quickly.
He was a big advocate of assistance programs and wasn't ashamed to share his story. He said it was a "Hand up not a hand out." Currently he is an IT director and his oldest is off attending college at TTU. He still does a lot of volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity.
While he had the "boot strap" mentality a lot of his success can be attributed to government programs.
 
TL/DR
Government assistance arms people who are willing to do the work with the tools they need to succeed where otherwise they might not be able to despite the will to do the work.
 
 
 

It also makes sure a kid of an abusive absentee father (and the “absentee” part was a blessing) and an alcoholic mother had food to eat during some pretty lean years, so she could survive to adulthood, get married, and have a healthy and successful family. At least, that’s part of my mom’s story.

For every grifter “gaming the system,” there are dozens of people who desperately need that aid to get to the other side.
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Jesus loves capitalism, or more specifically giving free money to companies, CEOs and their buddies. But he does not love helping out the common folk.
Fuck the poor, cause Jesus hated the poor. It says so many many many times in the Bible.
161210-michaelson-jesus-rich-tease_qzyma4

Its because they are not getting into heaven, so we deserve to pay them for sacrificing their eternal salvation.
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This is depressing and and very accurate. 
You're fat?  Suck it up and do something about it?  Feel shamed?  Boo fucking hoo.  
Can't get a better job?  There are thousands of for hire signs everywhere.  Employers are desperate for reliable people.  That's about it.  Are marginally intelligent?  Great!  But can we count on you.  That's it.  Can you be counted on.  
Most people would rather sit around on their asses doing nothing and ponder why their lives have so little meaning.  It's a GD mystery.......
 

It is a mystery because it is just not true.
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3 hours ago, Storm the Field said:

Wait, somebody actually bothered to ask the unemployed why they aren't taking any available job? Is that legal?

 

“Conclusion: Urgency may pick up in the fall 

Many employers want to ramp up hiring quickly, but a large portion of job seekers are hesitant to start jobs now. Thus, job search this summer may continue to be sluggish, but the lack of urgency appears to be temporary. The further decline of COVID-19, the end of enhanced UI, and the return of school in the fall are factors that could increase the intensity of job searches by the unemployed.”

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4 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Well that settles it. “Covid fears” lmao. I’m sure they are being 100% honest in these polls. 
 

Good to know it’s not about wages. 

"Covid fears"  LOL.  That's about as canned an answer as you can get.  

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Not sure if you guys know anything about Indeed or its leadership, but they were not fishing for bullshit canned answers.  They were actually gunning for a much more political answer than that, but they got what they got and published it in the name of transparency.

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46 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Not sure if you guys know anything about Indeed or its leadership, but they were not fishing for bullshit canned answers.  They were actually gunning for a much more political answer than that, but they got what they got and published it in the name of transparency.

would anyone openly admit they would rather collect double unemployment than get a job?  Especially with a company like "Indeed" running the survey, lol?  Reflects wonderfully on their future employment prospects...

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On 6/28/2021 at 1:35 PM, Judge Roybeanbag said:

What's frustrating is that over the years, I've seen a couple of people who were really fantastic - they'd figure out repetitive requests from customers quickly and and send me the info already filled out, so I just had to review and sign.  Problem was they were smart enough that they were a threat to their direct managers, so they ended up getting let go eventually, in favor of lackeys.

B's hire C's

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9 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

would anyone openly admit they would rather collect double unemployment than get a job?  Especially with a company like "Indeed" running the survey, lol?  Reflects wonderfully on their future employment prospects...

Yep, that's about an unbiased as a survey to gun owners on the percentage of ownership rates in homes.  Guns?  What?  Me?  Yeah, nope.  No guns here.  Nothing to see, move along....

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2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Let he who has not had the "bacon chili cheeseburger consumed in the car" shits throw the first stone! 

Yeah, I thought not, fuckers.  Good times, good times.

This is like the third most important reason to own a pickup.  Let he who has not shit the bed of a pickup when in dire straights cast the first stone. 

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On 6/24/2021 at 8:59 AM, fattyflattie said:

Yeah. Pretty well I suspect.  That’s why I don’t understand the disconnect with the folks who hate the industry. If you can make $75-100 off my table for 2 for 90 mins of work, seems like a decent paying job.  When we eat out it’s usually at nicer places so maybe my view is warped. I’m probably a -30% on average.  I’m also not rude to people who handle my food - even if it’s prepared wrong which I don’t think has even happened in 10 years or so.  I’ve never worked in the industry. 

i'm sure someone else has already pointed this out, but using your own math, a 30% tip that equals $75 on a 2-top means your bill was $250 and in texas that means you ate at bob's or del's with a $100 bottle

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6 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

i'm sure someone else has already pointed this out, but using your own math, a 30% tip that equals $75 on a 2-top means your bill was $250 and in texas that means you ate at bob's or del's with a $100 bottle

Sometimes it's good to slum it like that to keep you humble.

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8 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

i'm sure someone else has already pointed this out, but using your own math, a 30% tip that equals $75 on a 2-top means your bill was $250 and in texas that means you ate at bob's or del's with a $100 bottle

Trulucks and Willie G's iirc.  Drinks, a few dozen oysters, and a bottle of wine my wife cant pronounce just about get's you there.  

eta: I haven't seen any obvious staffing problems at the places we frequent.  But I don't pay that much attention to it, either.  I have a feeling those servers bank pretty good, most seem older. 

Edited by fattyflattie
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  • 2 months later...
1 hour ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Yet...

Current Unemployment Rates

Texas: 5.9%

Florida: 5.0%

California: 7.5%

NY: 7.6%

 

Missouri - the first state to drop Covid Bucks: 4%
 

Illinois: 7%

 

that big 4.3 to 4.0 move sure showed me.  on top of a drop in the civilian labor force from 3,089,395 to 3,072,710.  employed persons in misery went from 2,904,372 in aug 2020 to 2,949,552, an increase of 45,180, or 1.53%.  WOW!

here at home, we went from 13,118,386 to 13,292,505, about 1.33%.  AMAZING!

compare cali, going from 16,365,343 to 17,551,147, a 7.25% improvement.  GODDAMN CALIFORNIA SUCKS!

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1 hour ago, elfenix said:

 

that big 4.3 to 4.0 move sure showed me.  on top of a drop in the civilian labor force from 3,089,395 to 3,072,710.  employed persons in misery went from 2,904,372 in aug 2020 to 2,949,552, an increase of 45,180, or 1.53%.  WOW!

here at home, we went from 13,118,386 to 13,292,505, about 1.33%.  AMAZING!

compare cali, going from 16,365,343 to 17,551,147, a 7.25% improvement.  GODDAMN CALIFORNIA SUCKS!

It’s been one full month of recorded data (August) since they ended the benefits in the third week of July, September numbers unavailable in Missouri (the first state to do so). This is also their lowest rate in the last 12 months. 
 

In July, their new UE claims dropped from the 5,000- 6,000 average to 3,000 a week immediately following the drop in benefits and have stayed that way. 
 

Seems a bit early to spike that football

Edited by ChickenSandwich
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misery ended covid bucks june 12.  since then new unemployment claims have been

Missouri 	06/19/2021 	3,903 	06/12/2021 	50,613 	2,637,288 	1.92
Missouri 	06/26/2021 	3,998 	06/19/2021 	52,735 	2,637,288 	2.00
Missouri 	07/03/2021 	3,958 	06/26/2021 	48,517 	2,637,288 	1.84
Missouri 	07/10/2021 	5,751 	07/03/2021 	43,941 	2,619,677 	1.68
Missouri 	07/17/2021 	11,807 	07/10/2021 	43,428 	2,619,677 	1.66
Missouri 	07/24/2021 	6,456 	07/17/2021 	42,448 	2,619,677 	1.62
Missouri 	07/31/2021 	6,807 	07/24/2021 	43,868 	2,619,677 	1.67
Missouri 	08/07/2021 	4,406 	07/31/2021 	35,548 	2,619,677 	1.36
Missouri 	08/14/2021 	4,285 	08/07/2021 	33,379 	2,619,677 	1.27
Missouri 	08/21/2021 	3,794 	08/14/2021 	31,217 	2,619,677 	1.19
Missouri 	08/28/2021 	10,976 	08/21/2021 	28,274 	2,619,677 	1.08
Missouri 	09/04/2021 	4,027 	08/28/2021 	28,241 	2,619,677 	1.08

and of course fewer people will draw unemployment if you make it less attractive.  water is wet, sun rises in the east, ou sucks, yada. 

 

nearly every state is at its lowest rate in 12 months.  that's kinda how economic recoveries and expansions work. 

Edited by elfenix
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Oh, I think there is some significant amount of playing with the numbers also. I know of many, many people who dropped out of the workforce. Most of them are single mothers. The cost of daycare and lack of willing grandmothers, zoom schooling where no one can watch the kids, shifting of life goals, and lack of training opportunities for potential new employees during COVID has taken a big toll on the workforce. We are getting about 2 shitty job applicants a week vs about 150 prior to the pandemic.

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34 minutes ago, elfenix said:

those people were not drawing unemployment, then. 

That's not how it works. If an older woman in her 50s who is a nurse retires, she may get a severance package, she may allow herself to get fired, she may get a pension, or she may just quit. Each of those situations is vastly different as far as payroll is concerned. For younger women, they may get fired or quit based on how they want to leave the company. Again those situations are very different as far as payroll. And unemployment is just one of the benefits. There are also benefits you can get for having children, food stamps, and utility assistance and other things a person may be eligible for and those things add up if a person can also save money by avoiding costly day care and worries if their kids are fucking around with zoom school.

But I didn't even mention benefits earlier as a reason women in particular have left the workforce. Specifically, I said, the cost of daycare and lack of willing grandmothers, zoom schooling where no one can watch the kids, shifting of life goals, and lack of training opportunities for potential new employees during COVID has taken a big toll on the workforce. The number of help wanted signs don't lie. And for my company in particular most salaries aren't posted so the lack of potential candidates is due solely to the market. Even if all the stuff above didn't apply, there is also the shift to at home work. So, work-from-home customer service or other jobs may be an option for women where before they had careers where they had to go into work. Doctors don't have a choice to work from home and they need workers to help them.

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2 hours ago, elfenix said:

those people were not drawing unemployment, then. 

Of course they are. There is no expiration date during Covid. If they were employed at the start of Covid, started collecting, then decided not to re-enter the workforce they are still collecting unemployment + Covid bucks and the new child tax credit as well. Couple of internet applications for CEO to satisfy UE requirements. 
 

Why would they stop?  Think they will self report?  

Edited by ChickenSandwich
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6 hours ago, Bevo said:

That's not how it works. If an older woman in her 50s who is a nurse retires, she may get a severance package, she may allow herself to get fired, she may get a pension, or she may just quit. Each of those situations is vastly different as far as payroll is concerned. For younger women, they may get fired or quit based on how they want to leave the company. Again those situations are very different as far as payroll. And unemployment is just one of the benefits. There are also benefits you can get for having children, food stamps, and utility assistance and other things a person may be eligible for and those things add up if a person can also save money by avoiding costly day care and worries if their kids are fucking around with zoom school.

But I didn't even mention benefits earlier as a reason women in particular have left the workforce. Specifically, I said, the cost of daycare and lack of willing grandmothers, zoom schooling where no one can watch the kids, shifting of life goals, and lack of training opportunities for potential new employees during COVID has taken a big toll on the workforce. The number of help wanted signs don't lie. And for my company in particular most salaries aren't posted so the lack of potential candidates is due solely to the market. Even if all the stuff above didn't apply, there is also the shift to at home work. So, work-from-home customer service or other jobs may be an option for women where before they had careers where they had to go into work. Doctors don't have a choice to work from home and they need workers to help them.

 

4 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Of course they are. There is no expiration date during Covid. If they were employed at the start of Covid, started collecting, then decided not to re-enter the workforce they are still collecting unemployment + Covid bucks and the new child tax credit as well. Couple of internet applications for CEO to satisfy UE requirements. 
 

Why would they stop?  Think they will self report?  

why would they not be included in the workforce if they're drawing unemployment? do you think people are drawing unemployment and sending off those applications they're also answering no when the BLS asks if they were looking for work?

Edited by elfenix
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