Of Labor Shortages and Heroes
Why good employees and heroes become reclusive
As we all see small town life dry up and become converted into “Corporate America”, one thing is clear. Those good ol’ days are gone. Mom and Pop shops no longer exist because the reward of doing so has vanished. So you may ask, what does this have to do with labor shortages?
Let’s draw comparisons. Good labor is increasingly difficult to find and retain. Heroes in movies and stories are often the same. It is all too common to see our favorite hero in movies living a reclusive life. The has-been savior of the day needed/sought to escape and to be left alone. This usually happens after they grow tired of “saving the day” on a regular basis.
No matter how good we are at our jobs, we tire of it.
Even our favorite action stars have to grow weary of seeing the signal in the night sky. I’m sure Batman at some point said to himself “now what?!”.
The workplace is turning into a similar world. There are great people who, when the time was asking them, they did not simply sit to the side or give their mediocre best. They stepped up and took their Babe Ruth shot.
They didn’t have to give their best (certainly their colleagues wouldn’t have), but being who and what they are naturally, they did what they do. Then one day after doing their bit for King and Country, they stepped aside and took a well-deserved bow out.
The problem is that there was no new caped crusader to follow in their footsteps. These days, the reward that come with greatness is just more work. Many who are up and coming see this and just throttle back. It’s too much demand for too little in return.
This can easily be likened to our current skilled labor shortage. Just like our small town life being watered down and converted into franchised Corporate America, so are the employees. The need to be somebody is being consistently eroded away and a person’s path is being paved.
Life’s challenges have been replaced by itinerary and preplanning. Things are too easy now.
The world that is being formed around us has lost it’s ability to maintain a stock supply of heroes. No demand, usually leads to no supply.
The old timers have all gotten tired of being used hard and put away wet — then only called when they are needed. It’s usually to solve a problem that was created by the fools that would normally deem them expendable.
A hero is something that does not come around everyday — not anymore anyway.
Employers need to train their management to recognize those who carry a personal fortitude that can only be described as the one who will run into the burning building. Those employees need to be encouraged and challenged so they do not feel the need to seek their fulfillment elsewhere.
Our labor shortages are far from over. A warm body that clocks in does not account for the real need. Not all problems can be solved by a phone call or chat to tech support. They often need that one individual who can see the real problem and solve it before even placing a hand near the situation. That’s a hero.
As always friends, I welcome an open discussion on any of my articles. If you leave me a message in the comments, I’ll do my best to respond in a timely manner.
Thanks for reading this article about labor shortages and if you would like to support more works like this from me and other great writers, I suggest you consider becoming a Medium member by clicking the link below.
