Soap Box

In the confusing times we live in when businesses are replacing full time employees with part time ones to circumvent the burdensome federal regulations of Obamacare and the uncertainty of an economy about as stable as a house of cards, what kind of future can a young American just entering the work force look forward to?

Believe it or not, there can be a very bright future for the ones who are willing to adhere to some time proven practices, put forth the effort and pay the price.

It all comes down to attitude and understanding the law of reciprocity as it applies to the work place, simply put, "you're gonna get back what ya put out."

In other words don't expect to reap vast rewards from a disinterested attitude and a slack work effort that just make you an also ran. Such employees are available by the truckload, it's the person whose willing to be the first one to get there and the last one to leave, who takes the extra effort to get it right, who learns on the job and takes advantage of experience to pursue excellence.

Such employees will always have a job and rise to the top like cream.

Speaking from the point of view of an employer who has had to make a payroll every two weeks for forty years, I can tell you that a company is no better than the nuts and bolts workers who handle the day to day business, the detail people who work out the minute, tedious loose ends that keep the wheels moving in the right direction.

Our business is small but incredibly efficient and productive and there is a very simple reason for that. Dedicated employees who don't watch the clock, dot all the I's and cross all the T's and don't complain about a midnight phone call to find alternate transportation to the next gig for a bunch of guys broke down in the middle of nowhere.

Anybody can type a letter, but it's a special person who can be trusted with autonomy and credit cards and who can adapt to a situation in the twinkling of an eye and have the mental resources to make things happen quickly enough to save a payday that make a real difference.

Any bus driver can get you to where you're going but it's the one who knows what to do when a transmission goes out or an engine blows, who to call and the closest shop to tow it to that keeps things rolling and minimizes down time.

Any manager can sit and answer the phone, but it's the person who is constantly initiating the phone calls and proposing new directions who gets the job done.

It's the employees who have the willingness and the intelligence to cover for someone who is out of work sick and take care of their own job at the same time who are truly valuable.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that an employee is valuable to an employer because his or her efforts make for efficiency, which translates into profit, which translates into a solid company that can provide employment and rewards to those who are willing to put forth the extra effort.

So to those who are about to embark on a career, regardless of what it happens to be I would say, first of all, find a job you can love and put your whole self into, make sure your attitude is tilted in the right direction, do your best to get along with everybody, roll up your sleeves and go to work.

It's out there, go get it!

What do you think?

Pray for our troops and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels​