Without details, let's just say that I've heard a lot of talk recently about unions and strikes and the plans with how to handle a strike.  It got me thinking, really, from an employer's perspective.  Big surprise.  I always think from an employer perspective.  Maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself and thinking that I'm more important than I really ever will be, but I like to think about the business side of any job I have.  If I had a dollar for each time I have said "If I was boss" then I actually probably could employ at least one person for a few months and pay them well. 

Anyhow, my thoughts are this, and tell me if I'm wrong.  Let's say I have a business and it starts to take off.  I get some employees, things are moving along, people start to depend on me.  One day, I hear people talking about unions.  Is this a reflection on them or a reflection on me?  I am thinking that if people who work for me are wanting to join a union, then I am ultimately the one doing something wrong. 

First off, let's remember that in my field your employees are going to be your most important investment.  What do you do when you invest?  You put out something that is of value to you in order to get something of value returned.  There are different ways of doing this, all of them very important.  One would be to take someone brand spankin' new and teach them from scratch.  I've been thinking abouut this one a lot as of recent.  There are a lot of lazy programmers, just as there are a lot of lazy people in any field.  What makes an employee of any sort a great investment is if they will invest in themselves as well.  This is key.  You can teach all you want, but you can't make the Proverbial horse drink.  Yes, that was actually from Proverbs ... old translation.  So this, I think, is an INCREDIBLY important thing to look for.  I can't say I know how to figure out if somebody has it, but I have always thought that drive is more important than experience when looking for an employee.  This is why, at this point, I have certain people that I know in mind with whom I would like to work in the future.  So there's that.

Then money.  I do not understand why people are so afraid to talk to a prospective employer/employee about money.  I don't think it needs to be avoided the way it is in the job hunt.  Yes, there is often negotiating that takes place.  I understand that.  However, if I'm making $80k and interviewing for a job where somebody is looking to hire someone for $30k, I'd think I would want to know.  Let's face it, we don't go to work because it's healthy for us.  We go to work so we can make money.  Tell me if I am not clear about this, but THE ENTIRE REASON FOR HAVING A JOB IS TO MAKE MONEY.  Why, then, is the topic avoided so much towards the beginning of the process? 

So how do you make sure that you get employees who will stay with you?  One of two ways.  First, you could target the timid and get employees who are so afraid of change and risk that they will stay in the same position for decades, simply because they are comfortable there.  Oh, and the benefit of this hiring practice is you can pay them shit and overwork them without having to worry about them finding another job.  You can do whatever you want to this type of person to get what you need at minimal cost.  Sounds great, doesn't it?  Of course it does!  I think everybody knows this is done, everybody sees it and this is why Capitalism has a bad name in some circles.  It drives me nuts. 

So how does Capitalism work?  Remember how I said employees are an investment?  Treat them like one.  Put more money into them.  Put more time into them.  Make them happy, don't just give them a damn picnic once a year in 90 degree weather that they have to go to so they fall even farther behind on the work that they're already working unpaid overtime to complete by the deadline that you arbitrarily come up with.  Give them more money.  I see incentive plans and all kinds of money being dropped into finding ways to make employees happy.  Here's a plan, rather than showing them how much money you're willing to spend to find something fun for them to do, why not just give them that money?  Makes sense to me.  "Here's a random bonus that I was going to spend on finding out how to make you happy before I realized you'd rather just see the money as a surprise bonus on your paycheck."  Is that so tough to understand? 

You want the best people who are going to make you the most money?  Pay them well.  You want cheap labor that will have just enough flair?  Look for the timid.  I'd rather have a volatile, vocal employee over the timid person that you can push around any day of the week.  Well, except sometimes on Monday mornings when I just want to quietly get geared up for the week.  At least the person who is not afraid of change will also not be afraid of changing the way things are getting done at work.  At least they'll work hard to better themselves and, therefore, better your business.  You have to remember, though ... when they get better and they work hard to learn more every day, they will be making more money from you and will, therefore, be worth more to you.  Give them some more cash and they will just have that much incentive to work harder and learn more to, in turn, give you a better return on your investment.

How does this all tie into unions, then?  Well, as I was saying, if I have employees talking about joining a union, this tells me that I am doing something wrong.  Either these employees do not want to take individual responsibility and work harder in order to get what they would then rightfully deserve, or I am truly treating them like crap.  Why would I want to hire the former and why would I want to do the latter?  Either way, I would need to take a step back and find out how I can get more self-directed, volatile employees who aren't afraid to take risks rather than people who think their employer owes them something, no matter what they do.  I would need to make a change in me to make sure I get the employees who aren't afraid to say "I'm not being treated well, so I'm going to (insert solution here)."  Once I have those employees, either by hiring this type of person or by helping them to become this type of person, then I know that I will have somebody who will take action.  Having somebody who will take action is what this truly boils down to.  I am not saying there is no place for unions, but I am saying that there should be no place for unions in any place that I would run because I would want to make sure my employees are driven towards a goal and happy.  We're all going to have our times where we are just sick of our jobs.  That's just part of working.  We have frustrations and we often need to just walk away from them.  However, I want someone working for me to be truly happy and appreciated, even when they are worked hard.  For this reason, if I have employees talking about unionizing, then I am doing something wrong.

And to think some people actually think things through before the post them.  Tell me if I'm wrong.  Discuss.  Please.  This is how I learn.