After being downsized twice, once in 2005 and again in 2009 I thought that my days of being loyal to a company or a boss were over. It seemed that the world had changed. Companies don’t care about the workers, they just sent whatever work they can to the cheapest foreign country they can find and hope that by the time they retire, the bad quality and products tainted with lead don’t catch up with them.
But here I am in 2011, and I have become attached at a company and boss again. New company really does seem to care about the workers and about quality.
In my younger days I went on practice interviews, changed jobs for a little higher pay. Worked second jobs in the evening hours (while attending LTU at the same time). Young people are that way.
Loyalty is an appreciation for others, who appreciate you, and the good work you do. That is my definition not Websters.
I get calls now from recruiters. Some think I am still back east, some have more current information and have found a perfect job for me out west. And I am polite, send a note back, but really I have zero interest in changing jobs right now.
Is it wrong to enjoy work? In 2009 when that job ended I was actually glad. I knew I would find something better, not a very lofty goal. And Kelsey-Hayes, that was a hellish job. But in both cases it was not the work, it was the people that made the difference. Yes, I am talking about you Frank.
One of the vendors I knew in Detroit used to tell me that his cost and the competitions costs were about the same. What he could offer that was different from the competing company was himself and his people. Companies that compete on price frequently fail. And people that compete on price (hire me I work cheap) cause more problems than they solve.
Of the big three car companies my way of getting to know them was to do their testing for them. My impression was that each company had a personality with quirks and traits.
GM was stodgy. They tested cars that seemed old even when new. Always playing it safe. They don’t really care whether the test passes or not. Quality is not the top issue at GM. GM was mostly competing on price. Quick and cheap.
Now Ford (disclaimer, I have been driven Fords since the mid 1990s), makes a solid vehicle with some flash, some new and risky design features. They care very much about the quality of their products which means if they fail on a test I am conducting I know they will blame the lab for the failure at first and be very upset about it. Fords are expensive, they compete with unique and high quality products.
GM almost went under, and Ford is riding high with no government help. Better to compete on anything besides price.
Ever have any experience with a place that hired cheap? The place I was at in 2009 actually seemed to make a drastic change in that direction. What I heard was they downsized most of the experienced staff and hired kids right out of school. I know they probably have suffered for it. People leaving for 50 cents an hour more, etc… A little bird told me about it.
I think that it really what makes the difference in my mind. That loyalty that I have for new company and new boss. New company promotes from within and spends a lot of time searching for experienced people who know about the work. New company really cares about quality. Makes me feel good about what I am doing. Makes me want to go to work everyday. Builds loyalty and builds the team.