Have you taken the time to sit back and look in awe at how our communications are changing due to social networking? Anthony Hardwick of Omaha has figured it out. Twenty years ago, when Anthony himself was only 9, adults who were unhappy with their conditions of work had three choices: complain to the boss, quit their jobs, or grin and bear it. This month Anthony exercised his fourth option: he started an online petition to get the public involved.
Anthony has worked at Target for three years and was none too pleased when Target notified all employees that they had to report to work at 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving in order to be ready for the start of Black Friday at midnight. He now has over 200,000 signatures on his petition to protest the extended hours. So is Anthony a genius? A Moron? The wind is blowing both ways on this one.
The Wind Blows One Way – Anthony is a Genius
Anthony didn’t want to work Thursday night. Thanksgiving was the anniversary of when he proposed to his now fiancée. Because of all of the unwanted publicity, Target says Anthony can have the day off. Mission Accomplished! Maybe all of his whining about turkey, mom, and family values will send a message to retailers.
The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) released the “SHRM 2011 employee Job Satisfaction Survey Report” this month which reveals that 38% of the participants felt that their job satisfaction depended on a “flexibility to balance life and work.” Work/life balance is nothing new, we’ve been discussing it in HR circles for decades. What has changed is that with the X and Y generations, there isn’t just a quiet request, these groups demand it. Anthony falls right into these groups.
One other issue that maybe shows either Anthony’s intelligence or perhaps his dumb luck is the recent interpretations of social media and disciplining employees. The National Labor Relations Board has stated in several opinions of late that if an employee complains through social media regarding the conditions of employment (in his case, hours of work), then the employer cannot terminate him for exercising his protected concerted activity. Of course the OTHER part of that is that he is supposed to complain to the employer or with other employees. I’m not sure how Anthony started out – was his petition to the world or to employees? A good attorney could probably argue either way if Target tried to terminate him. Target won’t – millions of people are watching. It would be horrible public relations.
The Other Direction – Anthony is a Moron
What kind of person who works in retail expects to have Black Friday off? Or at least expects to not have to report in the wee hours of the morning to be ready for the shoppers? Retail employees have had to endure this routine for decades. Yes, the start time IS creeping forward, but should we really feel sorry for him? At a time when 9.1% of the country is without a job, Anthony is bellyaching because he has to report to work? Cry me a river.
Retailers are hoping that THIS year will be the one that brushes off the dust of the economy and starts the arrows on those charts going up again. Target, Macy’s, Best Buy, Kohl’s, and Wal-Mart are all trying to give those arrows a little added fuel by starting the sales earlier. Is Anthony really smart to be putting his employer in a bad light because of this? Anthony:
Bad PR = reduced sales = reduced profit
= reduced need for your complaining sorry ass
Target may not be able to fire you specifically for the 200,000-person petition you created, but you can bet that if the layoffs come, they will draw the line right below the three years of service mark so they’ll be sure to scoop up your name in the discard pile.
So What’s the Bottom Line?
If shoppers are so aghast that Target and similar retailers are opening earlier this year, they can simply refuse to shop until Friday morning. It will be interesting to see how many boycotters there are. NEXT year will these stores decide to vote for mom and apple pie and not open so early? My bet is that this petition won’t change a thing.
And Anthony – if you are wanting to stay home on Thursday because it is the anniversary of when you proposed to your now-fiancée, I have some advice for you: Hurry up and marry the girl already. One year anniversary of an engagement? If you wait another year, she’ll be shopping for something else on Black Friday 2012 – a new boyfriend.
