Please, if you are sick, stay home.

Don’t cough in my coffee, sigh, and tell me that you should be home in bed. Coughing your left lung into the crook of your elbow doesn’t help.

We all hate the C word.

It doesn’t matter if it was a plot to advance the aims of Evil, a collective moment of “what if?” or a big nothing burger without the cheese. Perhaps a World Altering Precipice Moment where the Safety of All was only guaranteed by the Magnanimous Giants of True Science.

Admit it – you saw the C word and hoped I was swearing instead of going” there”, right?

It’s okay. I am not writing about the C word. Either one. I promise.

Your business needs to hire people who know how to work.

Who will help you build your business and take care of your customers? We want employees who believe our customers are their customers.

People who won’t take home all the scotch tape around Xmas

And for sure, people who know when to stay home, because they are in fact, sick.

Remember your first real job? Working there taught you to GO TO WORK NO MATTER HOW YOU WERE FEELING.

Did you hear your dad’s voice there?

You never called in sick. Not for a cold or a sniffle. Not because your tummy hurt or you didn’t sleep that well. With a fever of 104 and eyelids of sandpaper, you crawled into the truck, office, store, or warehouse until you somehow melted home 8 hours later. You don’t remember getting home. You slept. You did it again. And you felt better after doing it for a day or two unless you ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. Maybe, your boss noticed and told you to go home. And you said, “Not till I finish this….”.

And you finished it.

Working while sick, of course, is stupid. If you are sick, stay home.

Businesses are struggling to find the right people. People who stay home when they are sick, but not simply deciding to be sick. On a Monday or a Friday preferably.

Businesses are struggling to find people. Period.

One of my clients told me he was short-staffed because two of his people might have the C word. Yup. They didn’t realize it until they checked some of their symptoms. They were on the list! And now, they will follow the 2020 rules and stay home and watch Netflix for a week. And then maybe test to be sure. But they told him not to worry. They actually both feel pretty good.

My client values his staff. He knows they might be really sick. But he also kind of wonders if they might be using the system. Using him. It doesn’t matter. He is down two people for a couple of weeks.

Sigh.

The goal is to attract and hire people with a superior work ethic and health ethic. One that matches your own.

  1. Don’t bring and distribute illness.
    Be responsible for your health. It’s not fancy – most of us already know how.
  2. Work is a four-letter word, but it is not a bad one.
    A solid business provides Good people with Good incomes ensuring Good communities have Good families living in them.

It costs time, money, and morale when you hire wrong. People who are already part of the fabric of your business – staff, customers, and your family – deserve more.

Real-life tips to help find the people who should be working for you.

  1. Hire based on recommendations.
    If someone you know and trust sends you a name, talk to that person. Even if you don’t have a position. Keep your funnel full.
  2. Always hire the person, not the education.
    Unless you need a specific skill set, like fighter pilot or surgeon. Otherwise, it is easier to teach the What to the Who. Trust me.
  3. Close to offering the job?
    Have one of your senior people go for a coffee with your hot prospect. What do they think of your new potential protégé? Did they get asked good questions, or was it a “Look who I am” coffee? Listen to your key people.
  4. Ask your prospect, what they will do if you don’t hire them.
    Think about their answer.
  5. Advertise to people who are working, and the people who have influence and connection to them.
    Mass media advertising reaches people currently employed and the people who love them and know they are worth a better opportunity. If your business is a better opportunity, they will become helpful recruiters for you.
  6. Hire for your culture.
    And if you are unsure what your culture is, I know some people.
  7. If you do hire the wrong person, odds are they know it too.
    Give them some time. Give yourself enough time. But don’t run away from what needs to be done.
  8. Steal good people.
    You know who they are. Your favorite barista might just be your most powerful salesperson with some product training.

When you hire someone, you are giving them experience, opportunity, and a pivot point in their life they may never have expected. A pivot point towards more.

They will love you. Unless they are the wrong person. See point 7.

Your business deserves the right person.

Ask for them. Your customers are hearing what kind of people you are looking for. And that is beautiful.

I know a gal who was hired by a forward-thinking company. They advertised on local radio stations for a type of person. She never heard the ads. But people who did thought of her. And told her to apply, because it was a great local company, obviously looking for her.

She wasn’t looking for a job. But it was a fantastic fit. For both her and the company. She worked there for almost 30 years, and as far as I know, she is still there.

Need help framing your message? Recruiting is advertising that does a lot more than ask for a resume drop-off. It is a story in quest of your new lead character.

I would love to help you tell it.

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