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This topic comprises 9 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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Author
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Topic: "The Living Wage" (coming soon to a Theatre Near You)
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 01-15-2018 08:19 AM
quote: Steve Guttag
Again, having an "equivalent" would have sufficed. If a person has been in the workforce with verifiable references to their work experience, you can pretty quickly find out if they have basic communication/math skills. Requring a 4-year degree for a Receptionist/clerical job is likely overkill.
It's CYA.
Requiring a given qualification is an objective criterion: either you've got it, or you haven't. Making a judgment as to whether or not someone's demonstrable skills and experiences are equivalent to a given qualification is subjective: two different people can form two different, and perfectly valid, opinions as to whether you've got it or you haven't.
So, as a employer, if you simply require the qualification, with no flexibility or wriggle room, you have a cast iron defense against accusations (and lawsuits) of being institutionally -ist or -phobic. If you introduce the "or equivalent" into the mix, then you're basically painting a great big target in your entrance lobby.
It's the larger employers who tend to do this more, because they are more vulnerable to the lawsuits. Between 2001-13 I worked for two large universities, and during that time, the flexibility and discretion in decision making at lower and middle management levels gradually declined in favor of the check box approach - yes or no, it is or it isn't, etc. etc. The ability to make decisions and interpret policies in the gray areas was gradually taken away from the foot soldiers, and the authority to do so climbed higher up the command structure.
I think it's nothing like as bad in smaller companies and organizations, because more of what gets done is driven by individual professional relationships and the trust that goes with them, and they are a much less attractive target for no win/no fee attorneys, and the sort of person that would be inclined to hire one. There are richer pickings to be had suing an organization that employs 10,000 people and has an annual turnover of half a billion than in suing a nonprofit with 20 full-time staff and a turnover over just over a million, for example.
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Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 01-15-2018 09:22 AM
No, It's herd mentality, lack of knowledge and nepotism.
I have had a hell of a time applying for jobs, mainly because most people have no clue about what goes on in a movie theater.
I had an employer say to me, flat out, "You don't do anything but watch movies all day." That's when I pulled out my iPad and showed them pictures of the equipment that I worked on. When the person looked at a picture of the gearbox on the back of a Simplex projector or the inside of a Dolby Digital processor he got a dumbfounded look on his face.
So... a while later, I'm on the job on an assembly line...
There was an overhead conveyor system that has an optical sensor shooting across the belt. If the sensor doesn't "see" any product pass by after 30 seconds, it shuts off the conveyor motor.
So, this sensor intermittently stops working, the conveyor starts and stops all the time and it causes the whole assembly line to backlog.
The "maintenance" guy was fussing around with this sensor, off and on, for most of the night but couldn't figure it out.
I had known, most of the night, what the problem was. The last person who installed that sensor didn't properly dress the cable(s) and they were flapping in the breeze, so to speak. There was a frayed spot on the cable and, every time the cable moved just right, the sensor stopped working.
I told the guy that it was a bad cable but he insisted that the sensor and the retro-reflector were just out of line. It wasn't until I walked over and, with just two fingers, moved the cable and stopped the conveyor...then moved it the other way and restarted it.
The guy goes and gets a 15-foot cable and starts to shut down the line so he can replace the wire. I was thinking to myself, "Um...what's this guy doing?"
It took me a few minutes to work up the courage and to formulate a "nice" way to say it but I finally said that he could route the cable and dress it up without stopping the line and he would only need five minutes stopping the line to make the terminations.
If I hadn't spoken up, this guy would have shut down the plant for an hour just to do a five minute job.
No, this is not the first time I've seen things like this happen.
I commonly see people fumbling around for hours, trying to do simple jobs that I can do in minutes!
It's all because this guy is drinking buddies with the shop manager.
In another place, there was a woman whose job was to train new employees for their certification exams. It was well-known that she would only allow her friends to pass the exam. If she didn't like you, you didn't get certified.
I got a 98% on the exam and the only two questions I missed were because she gave the wrong information.
I had to show my exam score to the supervisor or else that woman wouldn't have let me pass my certification!
This kind of crap goes on 24/7 in virtually every shop I've seen!
quote: Leo Enticknap
So, as a employer, if you simply require the qualification, with no flexibility or wriggle room, you have a cast iron defense against accusations (and lawsuits) of being institutionally -ist or -phobic. If you introduce the "or equivalent" into the mix, then you're basically painting a great big target in your entrance lobby.
It's not objectivism! It's plain old stupidity!
Forest Gump could do a better job than most of these people!
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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 01-16-2018 08:55 AM
quote: Scott Norwood
If I were a cinema owner, though, I would be concerned about automating too much. Unlike fast food, where the actual food preparation part of the business is labor-intensive and offers great potential for automation, most of the jobs in a cinema are customer-facing positions. (Projectionists have largely been automated out of their jobs at this point.) While it might be possible to install automated ticket machines, concession vending machines, and turnstiles at the auditorium entrance(s), would customers accept that?
A movie theatre is supposed to be a happy, fun place where people feel like they are being taken care of by the staff (and where regular customers sometimes know the employees personally). Would people really accept a fully automated cinema (perhaps with a manager and a skeleton cleaning staff)? To me, such a place would feel more like riding on a public transit system (not usually a fun experience) than going out for a night of entertainment.
Some theaters are already doing quite a bit of hands-off "service" to customers.
- Self-serve ticket kiosks.
- Self-serve drinks (they hand you the cup for you to fill)
- Self-serve popcorn (they hand you the bag/cup for you to fill)
- "Cafeteria-style" concessions, where the candy is on shelves for customers to choose and take to the register
How is this all that different from buying your ticket online/at the kiosk, buying a candy bar from a vending machine, getting a soda from a vending machine, and so on?
I'm not saying that it's what I prefer, but for the basic stuff, it's already happening in some form at many theaters. The big problem comes in when, as the customer, you're expected to pay the same price and you're doing all the work. That's why I don't like the self-serve checkouts at the grocery store. Shave 10% off my bill and I'll be happy to ring up my own purchases, but don't make me replace a cashier simply because you don't want to pay for the labor.
My point perhaps can be drawn best by this example at a local theater.
The Marcus Majestic in Brookfield, WI has a box office where you can purchase the ticket at the counter or at a kiosk. They just redesigned that area, where there are half the number of registers, and probably twice as many kiosk tablets, with the emphasis clearly on the latter.
There is a ticket-ripper station, but even on a busy Saturday, there was no one at that station.
They have a dozen traditional concession lines, where you can order popcorn, soda, and candy. The candy is on shelves that little kids can grab while waiting in line. You get your popcorn served, but you get an empty cup that you have to fill at one of two beverage stations with some variety of a Coke Freestyle-like machine.
Off to one side, they have what Marcus calls a "Reel Sizzle" counter, which is like a diner, where you can order shakes, malts, burgers, and other made-to-order sandwiches. The cook asks what you would like on your burger, another server asks if you want whipped cream with your malt, etc. In a few (5-10) minutes, freshly-made food is ready for you to take into the theater.
Which of these customer-contact points is more valuable? Is it the ticket seller that just sells you the ticket you asked for? Is it the non-existent ticket-ripper? How about the person that rings up the candy you pulled off the shelf while waiting in line, and gives you the filled popcorn container and empty soda cup?
I think it's the people at the Reel Sizzle counter. They have the best opportunity to make a positive impression on the customer by providing that customer with something that couldn't be had from an automated machine.
That's not to say that there weren't other opportunities for great customer service.
The ticket seller could chat up customers with a friendly smile and it would make a great first impression. We had a ticket ripper at a local theater that made the news because he was acutely familiar with every movie, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend movies and say something interesting about the movies people were coming to see. That enthusiasm was a positive thing and it contributed to the personality of that particular theater. Likewise, the concession people have the opportunity to make people feel like they've made a good decision by being happy and cheerful and willing to engage customers and not make them feel as though they are an interruption in the lives of the workers.
It sounds as though it's very difficult to find workers that can exude that kind of friendliness and cheerful demeanor that speaks well of their employer. It's those people that not only *could* be replaced by automation, but *should* be replaced by automation.
Ideally, a movie theater would be filled with employees that want to be there, and truly strive to deliver the best moviegoing experience possible. I don't think turning a movie theater into an automat is the right way to go, but lacking decent help forces the issue of deciding where best to reduce the workforce and concentrate on the most valuable roles.
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Dave Bird
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 777
From: Perth, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 01-16-2018 02:10 PM
You'd hate the general level of "friendliness" in service you'll find in Canada, and your "get what you pay for" is true to a point. We've always been sure to have one or two "senior" kids as a manager or assistant role who first of all, are very personable and happy anyway, and second, are paid anywhere from $2-4 higher than minimum with full-time hours and some bonus when we can afford it (or it rains a lot). They are happy to have the kind of hours and a little higher pay that helps them pay for their schooling. The other kids are close to minimum (especially now that it's going to $14, then $15), but they are generally cheerful and good workers. We do bonus them too and do the best we can. They're also never without a "student manager" or ourselves on-site, and customers seem to really like how we treat them.
When I go to the big multiplexes, I sometimes wonder if part of it is just that there are SO many young, young kids and I just don't ever see their "handlers" around. I often think the best thing I can do to show kids how to treat a customer is just to be there smiling, conversing and for the most part, saying "yes" as much as I can. Also being the first to grab a broom and dustpan as soon as the pre-show rush is over.
(I also liked your "crappy sign" comment. First thing I ever did at dad's grocery store was make signs. Was about 6 and thought it was funny to put my dad "on sale" for FREE and tape up the signs out on the shelves. It takes a knack for sure, and nothing worse than crappy looking signage.)
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 01-17-2018 12:50 PM
quote: Dave Bird
When I go to the big multiplexes, I sometimes wonder if part of it is just that there are SO many young, young kids and I just don't ever see their "handlers" around. I often think the best thing I can do to show kids how to treat a customer is just to be there smiling, conversing and for the most part, saying "yes" as much as I can. Also being the first to grab a broom and dustpan as soon as the pre-show rush is over.
One of my best friends is the GM at a large Tex-Mex restaurant. He has a very hand's-on management style. He doesn't leave it 100% up to the employees to do all the grunt work. He'll be in the kitchen helping cook food, hauling out garbage and all kinds of other stuff as well as handling customer issues. He's not a push-over; not afraid to fire employees for all sorts of deal-breaking offenses. But he shows he's not above getting his hands dirty. That helps improve his staff's team spirit and morale overall.
quote: Dave Bird
(I also liked your "crappy sign" comment. First thing I ever did at dad's grocery store was make signs. Was about 6 and thought it was funny to put my dad "on sale" for FREE and tape up the signs out on the shelves. It takes a knack for sure, and nothing worse than crappy looking signage.)
Sign design requires both talent and nuts and bolts knowledge of signs and how to make them visually effective (legible, attractive, a positive addition to the surrounding environment). Too many think computers are doing all the work and anyone can throw designs together. The result is lots of cities and towns have commercial business districts littered with cheap, cluttered, unremarkable looking signs. If the city doesn't make businesses maintain their signs you'll see a lot of signs in disrepair (lamps out, faces missing, cabinets rusting to hell, etc). Citizens can't put their finger on why so much of the sign stuff is making their town look like shit. So they just rise up and take part in a general backlash against signs.
A big part of an anti-signs backlash is citizens taking notice of many upper income suburbs around the country with very restrictive sign ordinances in place. The only signs next to the street are small, tombstone sized displays. Then there is a forest worth of bushes and trees flanking the streets, doing a great job of hiding the modest building signs on store fronts. But it all looks very nice, so the town fathers pass a similar ordinance hoping to copy the upscale look.
The consequence of a very restrictive sign ordinance is it hamstrings businesses who want to project an effective storefront identity to passing motorists. Signs are the most important marketing tool for any business with a brick and mortar store front. If the customer can't easily spot a business from the road he may visit a competitor's store. Or he may just buy the product online.
Sign companies and sign designers have a pretty big civic responsibility. They make a big impact on a town's visual character. A unique, great looking, effective sign can become a civic landmark. Towns overrun with crappy looking signs can make visitors think the town is a run down hell hole. The upscale suburbs whose streets do more to showcase landscaping and McMansions rather than its local businesses will lack civic personality. It's just high dollar yet generic looking gentrification. And that too can drive customers to online merchants.
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Martin Brooks
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 900
From: Forest Hills, NY, USA
Registered: May 2002
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posted 01-17-2018 09:58 PM
Federal minimum wage in 7/1970 rose to $1.85 and I don't remember a lot of businesses complaining about it the way they're complaining now. Using the government's official inflation figures (which are incredibly understated), that would be $11.69 in today's dollars, so as far as I'm concerned, no employer should be complaining about $11.69 or less.
Having said that, there probably should have been a lower minimum wage for people under 18. Of course that could have led to employers seeking under 18-year olds instead of adults so they could pay them less. And I seem to have a vague recollection that movie theater workers were exempt from the Federal minimum wage. I just looked it up and all I can find is that movie theater employees are exempt from overtime, but in addition it says that workers under the age of 20 can be paid just $4.25 an hour for the first 90 days and certain students can be paid 85% of the minimum wage. Of course local wage laws would supersede that.
As Bobby pointed out, in big cities, prices for everything are so incredibly expensive that unless one is living for free in someone else's home, no one can live even on $15 an hour.
NYC is among the places that have vastly increased the minimum wage, especially for chain fast food workers. The reason New York State and the City have done so is because New York State ranked first in providing public assistance to fast food workers to the tune of a $700 million annual cost to taxpayers. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be subsidizing McDonald's and Burger King. Nationally, 52% of fast food workers had at least one family member on welfare. If that means some badly run or badly located fast food restaurants go out of business, so be it.
In NYC, the min wage just rose to $12 for companies with fewer than 10 employees, $13 for companies with 10 or more employees and $13.50 for chain fast food workers. That rises to $13.50/$15/$15 in a year and the $13.50 goes to $15 in two years. But NYC is a place where even in the outer boroughs, a studio to a new lessee starts at $1700 a month. We can either raise the minimum wage or have more homeless: it's as simple as that.
In Long Island and Westchester, the min wage (except for fast food) is $11, rising a dollar in each of the coming years until it hits $15 on 12/31/21. In the rest of the State, it's $10.40, rising to $11.10, $11.80 and $12.50 on 12/31/20 with $15 coming at some undefined time later. Outside of NYC, chain fast food is now $11.75 rising to $12.75, $13.75, $14.50 on 12/31/20 and $15 on 7/1/21. This is still poverty money in most places and a worker who lives in a 2-fare zone (most min wage workers do, because the rents are cheaper) will spend $230 a month just on bus or subway fare working 5 days a week. And in NYC workers must pay both local and state income taxes.
My local McDonald's has installed kiosks, but they have a worker monitoring the kiosks because the local McDonald's tends to attract people who are still unable to use any kind of technology efficiently (it boggles the mind that I see so many people having problems using debit or credit cards at grocery store checkouts) and you also can opt to have the food delivered to your table, so there's a worker for that. And you can still opt for the regular register. They've decreased the number of registers, but I don't think they've reduced the number of employees and if they have, it's probably not by very many.
The other thing to consider is that low-paid workers spend everything they make. So any increase in wages for low-income workers goes right back into the economy and I would suggest that low income people tend to spend their money in the same kinds of businesses that hire low-wage workers (aside from medical and rent). So I think those businesses will do just fine.
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 01-18-2018 06:45 PM
quote: Mitchell Dvoskin
Philadelphia PA tried that. About ten years ago, they tried putting homeless people who were on welfare on buses and shipping them to Atlantic City NJ. New Jersey took a dim view of this, along with the Federal Courts. Eventually, Philadelphia had to take them all back.
The largest concentration of homeless people I've ever seen in a single city was in Honolulu. They were sleeping in pretty much every doorway in the downtown area where my hotel was. I was later told that there is a sinister back story to this. Apparently there are unlicensed, fly-by-night rehab clinics run by scam artists and quacks up and down the west coast of the mainland. As their patients (or their insurers) run out of money, they used to throw them out onto the streets. Local governments and state regulators started to take a dim view of that, so these unscrupulous clinics started to buy these people one-way plane tickets to Hawaii instead. Once there, they're stuck, with no way to get back to the mainland, so the clinics have washed their hands of them. Given that these people, by definition, are addicts and/or with other mental health issues that effectively prevent them from supporting themselves, it sounds like a difficult and unfair situation for everyone involved (apart from the owners of the quack clinics, who are causing it).
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