The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

My son who was about to embark on his first job asked me what he had to do to ensure job security. My response to him was that ensuring job security was easy. Just remember the owner/manager hires you, but only you can fire you. “What, what do you mean?” ”Well let’s take a look. You are going to work as a bus boy right? Ok first you have to remember that ultimately the guest is your boss, he pays you and all you have to do is make sure he is happy by giving him the best courteous service possible. He doesn’t want much, just that his food and drinks are served the way he ordered in a timely manner by a friendly smiling face. And that you keep his water glass filled and his coffee hot.”

The better your service performance, the safer is your job..

Secondly you have to respect your supervisors and your peers. Last, but not least, remember to always refer to the companies handbook and obey the rules and regulations agreed to by your union and the company. Do the do’s and not the don’ts. Do this don’t do that. Also you will encounter a few guys that are not supportive of the system. They will try to goad you into joining them, be wary of them. On the other hand there are guys that are role models.

Always to work on time, always taking care of their guests, these are the ones you want to emulate. See how simple that is? And, oh by the way, remember if you mess up and lose your job you will eventually lose your friends. No one wants to hang out with a loser. Don’t get me wrong now, they won’t disappear overnight, but they will. By and by one by one. Check this out in the beginning you will meet them at the pub where all of you used to hang out after work. They will buy you drinks and give you a little something to put in your pockets. They will even stop and give you rides should they see you walking.

But one night and the nights thereafter you show up at the pub and none of your former coworkers are there. Even the ones who used to crack jokes with you stop talking to you. You soon notice that you don’t even see any of your friends on the streets. They’re now putting the duck on you. That’s when it will dawn on you. ”I messed up, I really messed up and fired myself by picking fights with my coworkers and always getting up in my supervisor’s face. Lost a good job making good money by not taking care of my guests and not following simple rules and procedures. Now because of my bad record I’m finding it hard to get a decent job.”

You get my drift, see what I’m talking about? Good, now go out there and knock ’em dead. Make your old man proud.

ANTHONY PRATT

Nassau,

March 23, 2019.