Lazy Employees - Island of Sanity

Island of Sanity



Annals of Enterprise

Lazy Employees


I've worked for a number of small companies. And at every one, sooner or later, the boss would lecture the employees about how disappointed he was at their laziness. He works hard to make this company a success. On evenings and weekends he's not watching TV or playing video games, he's working on company business. Why can't the employees have the same drive? Why do they all just take their paychecks and go home?

Let me see if I can explain it to you.

One: You own the company. Every dollar the company makes is a dollar in your pocket. Every dollar the company loses is a dollar out of your pocket. The employees are paid a salary. If the company does well, you MIGHT give an employee a bigger raise or a bonus. Or you might not. If the company goes bankrupt, you may lose everything you own, your house, your car, your life savings. But to the employees, if the company goes bankrupt they may miss a paycheck and they'll have to find another job. They don't have the same financial stake in the company that you do, so they don't have the motivation that you do.

That's why most Americans choose to be employees rather than start their own business. Sure, the rewards of starting a business that succeeds can be big. But the costs of starting a business that fails can also be big. Most Americans would prefer not to take the risk and just play it safe.

Two: More important, though, the company is your baby. You run it the way you want. If it succeeds, you have the satisfaction of knowing that YOU were a success. To the employees, they have to do it the way YOU want. In many companies the owner dictates how work will be done to fine detail. Even if he gives the employees a lot of independence, it's usually not total. The employees just don't get the same satisfaction out of success that you do.

If the company succeeds, it's YOUR success. It's not theirs. If the company fails, it's not their failure, it's yours.

© 2025 by Jay Johansen


Comments

No comments yet.

Add Comment

Name
E-mail
Comment