I saw a glimpse of my previous driver. I have heard he had fallen in bad times. But it looks like he finally has a job again.
He was an excellent driver. He maintained the right speed to keep my heart from racing. He was cool-headed and wouldn't let the other bad drivers get on his nerves. He knew Manila very well and could find routes to avoid traffic.
But he had moods. He could be quite talkative, and I would find that annoying. I'd like to chitchat at my convenience. And at other times, he would show up with a long face, just quiet. I wouldn't mind that ordinarily. But sometimes I would think he was harboring some grudge towards me.
Then a few times, he just wouldn't report for work. I understand emergency leaves. But to fail to inform through text just gets to me. So I have reminded him. I have conducted dialogues with him. I did a version of "carrot and stick". Yet it happened a few times more. The final straw came when he failed to report for days without any notice. I decided to change drivers then. I cannot have an unreliable driver.
He came back a week after, apologetic. I told him he had a few days left, if only to close the month properly. On the last day, he appealed for another chance. But I couldn't give it. He had been reminded and reprimanded many times before.
I find managing workers with lower educational attainment levels very challenging. The rules and guidelines of corporate HR just don't apply. How to instill in them better working habits remains a huge mystery to me. Rewards and penalty mechanisms cannot sustain change.
I salute those entrepreneurs and managers who work with them effectively. And I see that all over, particularly in retail. And that is the main reason I shy away from going into entreprise yet again. I don't have the skillset.
My first impulse was to write "workers from lower SE classes" to describe them. But I realized that "lower educational attainment levels" is really the appropriate term.
That is how critical education is. How far has this government gone in providing for this basic right?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
7 comments:
And the worse past it, they sometimes have the gall to go to DOLE/NLRC to complain! There are actually "professional labor lawyers" who hound the slums of Manila to look for these kind of "dismissed" workers, whom they use to build their case portfolio and to milk/bleed money from these workers' former employers.
I may have to disagree with you on that one, CC. You're basing your inference on your anecdotal evidence with your driver. But the way I see it, your driver could have been a rocket scientist and still have no proper discipline or good manners or even just plain common sense to inform the boss if he is not reporting for work.
You don't need an PhD, MBA, High school or even grade school diploma for that.
i find that it not about economics or about educational attainment. It is simple as how they were brought up by their parents and what values were instilled in them.
I am reminded by the saying "values are formed at the dinner table." and everyday I tend to agree more and more... values, manners, the drive to succeed etc... fundamentals that are thought at home and not in a class. The trick is to spot these traits early on.
I believe it's not about educational attainment but rather about soft skills development. Usually, universities train their students in this area but not successful every time. I know some people who came from prestigious universities yet they exhibit bad habits profession-wise.
I guess what keeps higher level graduates ahead of those who didn't attain a higher degree is that they had the chance to have their soft skills trained under a rigorous curriculum unlike those of the latter who had to rely on "experience".
Although, keep in mind that it may not apply to all. ;)
I've been working with these people you are referring to for quite a year now. For me, I had no difficulty in managing these 'people' since i already found the right disciplinary method for them. Kailangan lang ng konting taas ng kilay. Hehehe. As for you, kilalanin mo na lang maigi yung mga tao mo para mas malaman mo kung ano ang epektib na pagdidisiplina sa kanila.:)
and that is why I am an artist. there is only one person to deal with, and that person is "ego".
I just have to jump in as a social justice enthusiast... John Rawls, Amartya Sen and Martha Naussbaum will not be happy for what you did :-(
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