Workers are too often tasked with bearing the burden of generating profit for their employer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
For example, I know of one restaurant in Lethbridge that recently limited its operating hours because it wasn\u2019t making enough money during certain hours. This, of course, reduces the total number of shift hours available to workers. This same company insists that their workers end their shift on time, that no matter how busy the restaurant is, they must plan in advance to cover all their tasks to close out their shift on time. All in an effort to curb paying out too much to workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Likewise, I\u2019m aware of a local clothing store that recently consolidated their locations into a single storefront. This, of course, resulted in some job losses. Prior to the consolidation, the store\u2014like the restaurant above\u2014reduced their operating hours. And now, I\u2019ve heard, this clothing store is shutting down their last retail location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s the thing though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When businesses such as clothing stores, and restaurants, and bars, and hotels reduce shifts, or close locations, or lay off workers because profits are down, business owners are shifting responsibility of profit-making onto the worker, even though these workers rarely affect profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re paying your line cooks $15 an hour, you\u2019re paying them that amount whether they\u2019re frying 1 burger or 100 burgers an hour. If you\u2019re paying your bartender $15 an hour, you\u2019re paying them that amount whether they\u2019re pouring 1 drink or 100 drinks an hour. If you\u2019re paying your store clerk $15 an hour, you\u2019re paying them that amount whether they\u2019re ringing through 1 shirt or 100 shirts an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But how many burgers they fry or drinks they pour or shirts they sell isn\u2019t really up to them. It\u2019s your job to create business, to bring in customers. Your workers are more than happy to work hard to make sure lots of customers get the service they need. They likely don\u2019t want to stand around with nothing to do either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And when\u2014instead of focusing on increasing revenue\u2014you focus on reducing your expenses by reducing salaries through cutting hours and locations, then you\u2019re shifting the burden of profit making onto your workers instead of yourself, the owner. You\u2019re seeing wages as the issue rather than lack of customers. And that\u2019s unfair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n