Sean Kelly of Franchise Pick, one of the best bloggers I know, sent an email to his Bizzia colleagues suggesting that we might find it interesting to weigh in from our own perspective regarding the couple who just won Sean’s Franchisee From Hell Award. (Don’t miss the Biz Levity and Small Business Boomers take on it.)

In short, Lacey, Washington Pizza Time franchise owner Luke Benjamin kept the thermostat set at 55 degrees with a policy to turn the furnace off at night, but the employees forgot one night. Benjamin’s solution was to shut off the heat completely (in an area where outside temperatures may sink to 19 degrees) and post the following notice:

“If you don’t want to work here quit, otherwise shut up and do your job. The next person I hear complaining is off for two weeks. We don’t have heat!! You guys screwed up, not us. You want to blame someone, look in the mirror.”

Since Benjamin confirmed the story to King 5 News, including the fact that 1) his wife has a space heater in her accounting office at the facility and 2) that she is the actual boss, Sean (the big softy) is now wondering if they can be saved from themselves.

Specifically, Sean said, “Miki, do they display the leadership qualities of Attila the Hun, had Attila made pizza?”

The answer is no, in spite of them forcing their people to work with no heat.

Attila never screwed his workers, unlike the Benjamins, they may have been pushed hard, but they had a charismatic leader who was no fool and not only allowed, but encouraged, them to rape and pillage to their hearts content. (Note: Leaders have been using rape and pillage to offset hardship for eons. Think earmarks.)

So what about the Benjamins?

Do I think they will change? Not a chance in hell (from whence came their award), since that would involve a change in their MAP, which ain’t gonna happen as long as they think they’re right.

About the only thing I can see making a difference is a swift kick where it hurts the most—their pocketbook—to be administered by their pizza customers and boss-wife-with-heat Benjamin’s Accurate Accounting customers; as one commenter pointed out, it is tax time, AKA accounting profit time.

But the boycott would have to be substantial and last a significant amount of time to have the desired effect. Sadly, and I’m sure the Benjamins are counting on this, ire diffuses quickly when up against convenience and I wonder if the good intentions of those who are incensed now will last when the item is off the current news radar.

Would you remember? Would you do business with them?

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Image credit: King5.com

I wrote a guest post for Sean over at FranchisePick in which I said, “Why does our society denigrate those who work low-paying jobs, when they’re honest, hardworking, pay taxes and even manage to raise families?”

Then in an email Sean said, “I think this is a good topic and one that’s had some controversy – especially when “McJob” was added to the dictionary despite McD’s protestations.

I have personally seen many many times training situations where teens and adults were being trained in basic manners and courtesy that they never learned from home or school.  We’ve got this snotty attitude instead of teaching the value of service.

My poor kids work… their friends pull up in brand new Audis they never had to work for.  You value what you earn.“

A couple of decades ago I read a study that showed how a lack of ownership tied to a lack of respect for private property leading to a casual attitude to its destruction. (I can’t find a URL, so if anyone out there has it please add it to the comments.)

I don’t think this has changed, in fact, I would posit that it’s gone much further—

• employers consider renters are less stable;
• single people are subject to higher turnover;
• car age reflects negatively on the owner;
• clothes labels are indicative of intelligence;
• and dozens more.

All this goes hand-in-hand with the writings of CandidProf and related posts and the angst found in thousands of article on the subject from around the world.

Am I nuts or is there a problem here?

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Image credit: djayo CC license