GOTTA TRY TO BE BETTER
Originally Published the Week of July 28, in Western Outdoor Publications
We run several businesses here in Mexico. La Paz in Baja to be sure, about 100 miles north of Cabo San Lucas.
We have a lot of employees.
We have boat captains, drivers, managers and fish packers. At our restaurant as you might expect…cooks, waiters, kitchen assistants, bartender, etc.
I caught myself thinking the other day about so many of the folks in our restaurant.
I see them daily. I say hi. How are you. The usual stuff in Spanish.
Of course, thank you and good job. Professionally cordial and social.
Maybe occasionally issue some direction like “That table needs another order of guacamole.”
Nothing too complicated. They are mostly great folks and work hard…most of the time. Like all of us.
Mostly, I leave the heavy restaurant lifting to our managers or my wife, who are very good and work very hard as well. I try to stay in my lane as much as possible.
But, I caught myself the other day realizing something that is usually very important to me.
I’m very social, but I don’t really know the names of at least half our restaurant employees! Really not like me.
I think it’s because in the “new normal,” probably 30% of them will be gone before the month is over.
Half of them won’t be here in 3 months. I would bet 90% will be different by this time next year!
Of our current employees, half of them weren’t here 2 months ago.
Somewhere subconsciously, I told myself it was pointless to learn names until it looked like they were going to be sticking around. Why waste the energy of someone who won’t be here very long?
And that’s a terrible way to look at people. Assuming the worst!
It’s hard to find and keep employees these days. Just like in the U.S.
Seemingly, no one wants to work. Or they skitter from one job to the next searching for a better deal or whatever.
It occurred to me that maybe some of our employees leave because the owner (me) must be a jerk. That guy is me.
Are they saying and thinking, “My boss never says much to me and he never even learned my name or called me by my name!”
Ouch. Guilty.
So, the last few days, I made a point to actually chat with a few of our folks. (I made sure to “cheat” first by checking our payroll list.)
Some pretty interesting and astounding things.
Let me say as a preface, that folks come to work. And work is the focus. Employees are clean. Arrive for their shifts.
Work then leave. All very cordial…as much as possible in a sometimes hectic restaurant environment.
But, having a conversation I find out…
Selene is one of 4 adult kids still living with her mom. Mom is diabetic and chronically ill. Only she and a younger brother work and support the whole family. Dad disappeared when she was a kid. She never went past 5th grade.
Vincente has been a waiter for as long as he can remember. He’s about in his late 30’s. He has 6 kids in the house including an infant.
Two of the kids are actually a niece and nephew. He took them in because of issues in that house. His wife can’t work because she’s taking care of all the kids. So, a single income family and he makes about $200 a week plus tips.
Their house only has a mini-frig with no freezer and is about the size of a frig in someone’s mancave to keep beer cold.
Lucio…we’ll he’s been with us for almost a year.
I had no idea, he takes the bus…yes, the bus to get to work. And then at night when we close at 10 p.m. or so, he takes the bus back home.
The ride each way on the bus is an hour or more depending on the bus! And the bus ride usually eats up whatever tip money he earns. This is for a job washing dishes.
A couple of days ago, he told me they didn’t have water in his 3rd floor apartment with his girlfriend. The city was having a tiff with the city water company. Water had been shut off to some neighborhoods for several days.
So, he had to carry 5 gallon buckets of water up and down the stairs several times a day to fill the water tank on their roof so they had water for the kitchen, bath and toilet.
Emilio…has sole custody of his son. The son had a medical emergency that ate up the budget for the week.
With what he had leftover, he had to make a decision on whether to spend it on the electric bill for light…the gas bill so they could cook…or gas for his motorcycle so he could get to work.
It’s humbling and sobering.
As an American, we just unconsciosly assume everyone has a car or a refrigerator. Or water. Or has a way to cook food.
Shame on me that my avoidance mechanism is to just calling everyone, “amigo.” It’s more “convenient” than learning a name!
It makes me appreciate them more for what they have to do in order to work and what daily decisions they have to make.
Like eveyrone I have problems and get stressed. But, I really don’t. Not compared to others. I have lots of “inconveniences.” Not problems.
…and shame on me for not even learning their names!
I will have to do better and not take so much for granted.
That’s my story!
Jonathan
That's My Story 
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