The comedy of Oregon's Vision continues.Click on the pic and you'll get a larger version. Pay especial attention to the rules pertaining to the "Employment of Minors". The concern is so important. Because hiring a minor is probably the worst business decision you can make...unless you're related to the kid.
After you add the employer's portion of the Social Security Payment and you're looking at spending $9.03 per hour per kid. If you offer any type of benefits package, you're easily over $11.73 per hour per kid.
What would move you to commit to spending more than 24-thousand dollars a year to hire a kid? For 24-grand, you can hire an adult. Of course, if you're looking at adding an employee while the state talks about raising taxes and fees on corporations, you'd better do a re-think.
If your company has 3, 5 or ten cars and trucks, how much more a year is the State of Oregon going to require you to spend to keep those vehicles licensed? Higher gas taxes? Raise corporate taxes? Sure. Let the evil corporations pay more.
In 1990 I was hired to take over a bankrupt company. They hadn't filed yet, but the whole company was upside down. My job was to turn it around...and to do so in thirty days.
My first week was spent talking to the employees. Making sure they knew that the company was in trouble. Finding out which employees were willing to put aside some pretty selfish concerns to help save the biz. While waiting for employees to come into my office for their introduction to the new boss, I spent time calling all of the company's creditors. The question for them was, "Would you rather get some of your money? Or, none of your money?"
Non-essential contracts were cancelled. And staff had some new directives on dress and comportment. Smoking indoors was banned. (Remember, I smoke. This one killed me. But hitting a cloud of smoke when entering the building had to end.)
Sales staff was required to attend Monday morning sales meetings. Call sheets were required daily. With phone numbers and contact names. I did call those contacts for an "after action" report.
Within weeks, sales were up. As costs were negotiated, I took the first surplus from cash flow and replaced the carpets and colors of the front office area. Old cubicles were removed. Everyone could see and hear everyone else. Salesmen no longer tended to hide in their cubbies. They dressed better, made better calls, closed more business.
Each employee received a copy of the Corporate Business Purpose. The customer was why we were in business. Any "creative" ideas were tasked against the Business Purpose. If it didn't add to our effort to meet the purpose of the business, it was killed immediately. If they were approved, it required a commitment from all staff that additions to our product line required a permanent commitment to the product line.
Dependability, consistency and reliability. These became our task. Within six months we had broken all sales records previously set. We sold more in the next six months than had ever been sold in a year. (The company had been founded in the '60's.)
I could hire and train a new employee for $800.00 a month. Within three months, that employee was creating a surplus return to the company.
Today, that new hire is going to cost you $1445.00 a month. And, the kids coming out of high school today have far fewer marketable job skills. How many times must one read "I have payed all my outstanding bills" before you cradle your head in your arms?
Hire three kids? $4,500.00 a month. And no return to the company. And chances are, you'll need to replace all three within three months. Because they don't understand that "being there" is a requirement.
What do the kids know? That they've gotta get their breaks. Believe me, they know about the "payed" breaks.
Now the good news is, government is becoming the employer of choice. You know that jobs are spiralling down. Here's the latest economic outlook for Clatsop county from the state's employment division:
"The private sector eliminated 550 jobs and governments added 130."
See? That's good news.
"Local government education added 160 jobs as the school year continued and private educational and health services gained 70 jobs."
I tell you, we're living in a time of Milk and Honey.
Where does the money come for these government jobs? From the surplus of private companies. So, let's go ahead and continue to tax and spend. We have to, in order to provide jobs for economic growth. Right?
