Posted on 01/06/2009 12:53:51 PM PST by Lilpug15
To All My Valued Employees,
There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.
First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.
However, what you don't see is the back story.
I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.
My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.
Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.
So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... you never realize the back story and the sacrifices I've made.
Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.
Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds.
Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:
I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.
The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.
The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.
Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.
When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.
So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple.
If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more.
Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.
So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.... Signed, Your Boss
Self-ping. I may have to send that letter myself soon.
how to kill employee morale quickly - tell them if things so beyond their control (taxes) go up at all on the boss, they lose their jobs.
If this were written at a company for real, imagine the instant morale mess that would occur - it would be business suicide.
He's starting with the ones who had Obama stickers on their cars.
L
Agreed. Also the part about the employees punching in physically at 9 and mentally at noon. No intelligent employer would insult his employees and destroy morale like that and continue to have a successful business. But the overall message itself is pretty good.
I bet Obama got an easy 5 million more voters once McCain started telling everyone that Obama was going to spread the wealth.
You consider it business suicide - I consider it the truth. As a business owner, I agree 100%. And by the way, if you worked (and I used the past tense for a reason) for me and had an Obama bumper sticker on your car, good luck finding another job after I fired your ass on Wed. morning after the election...........Happy New Year - Red
One reason I am a conservative is that, although I am very risk-averse and (thus) not an entrepreneur like the author, I have the utmost appreciation for such people because THEY create the jobs that give ME opportunity.
Wow.
Should have sent it out before the election. Then again Obama supporters were either too hardheaded or stupid to read.
True - but it still reflects how a lot of people are feeling in this country right now.
“how to kill employee morale quickly”
This e-mail may be humor but it is the truth. If your employees can’t handle the truth then they should get in line at the welfare office.
You sound like present day schools where we don’t want to harm their poor little precious self esteem. To hell with morale. You might want to look up the definition of morale. It is defined as confidence in your leadership.
So...if he didn’t spend and didn’t save but instead invested every dollar he got back into his company, then if he shuts it down what does he retire on?
Yep that’s about right. Ranks up there with the other “bosses letter” talking about needing to lay people off soon and couldn’t figure out how to choose....until he walked out into the parking lot and noticed the Obama bumper stickers. Came back in and laid off everyone who had an Obama sticker.
Owners of small businesses are the backbone of this country and our economy. And they get screwed every day by big government.
I find management (real management) to be an interesting concept. Entrepreneurs generally work like draft horses i.e. long and hard an unappreciated.
I tried to build a business back in the 1980s and failed. I found in those days the freedom such builders have is the freedom to work 100 hour weeks. Among other things it taught me to appreciate builders who succeed.
I also find it interesting that the employees who denigrate the "freedom" of the managers, in the end, look to the managers to do the heavy lifting when heavy lifting is required. This manifests in EVERY organization, EVERY one. I suppose that makes sense because the organization must fail if the heavy lifters are incapable of heavy lifting. I guess that makes organizations symbiotic.
I do know if we make it impossible for the managers to make management worthwhile we will collapse as a civilization.
bookmark
I can’t count the times I have wanted to write that letter... with a few changes based on the economy of scale. (Mostly the 600 employee and $2.7 Million quarterly check part...)
Yep.
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