EUGENE, Ore. – The Eugene Chamber of Commerce promotes goods citizenry because it makes for good customers for local businesses; still, what about the citizenry who hate their jobs or others suffering in the current wasteland of job loss?
The economic crisis that continues to gravely impact hundreds of millions of Americans – to include the 50 million that the U.S. Census states “live below the poverty line” – is “simply bad for business,” says Ryan, a member of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce who is “most concerned” about “local businesses who now must deal with customers who’ve just lost their homes, retirement plans and even their jobs to this lingering recession.” At the same time, another chamber of commerce member admits “I hate my job. But, what am I’m going to do in this economy?”
What’s the economics when people don’t have money to spend due to job loss?
Millions of American families have been “savaged” by job loss,” states a review of the new “fiction” book by Elizabeth Buchan titled “Separate Beds,” that is about “bereavement and adjustment” that follows the Nicholson family in this time of deep world recession.
The book is about the wife “who soldiered on, keeping her house beautiful” while not realizing that they don’t have “the wherewithal to pay the mortgage.” The Nicholson family mirrors many in America today who are too centered on “work” and technology that they lose their “emotional touch,” and in return, “now sleep in separate rooms,” both physically and psychologically.
While Ryan says it’s not a business owners job to try and prevent or relieve psychologically-based distress caused by this ongoing economic crisis in America, “it is our job now as business owners to try and find solutions for our community. Our purpose if we are to survive is to find understanding when it comes to our customers and what they’re going through.”
In turn, Ryan notes that “we can’t do business how we’d like to conduct business” when our customer base is shattered by this economic crisis. We need to have compassion for our customers because they are us, and we need each other to both grow our business and simply survive.”
America is not alright, says business owner who’s deeply concerned for his customers
At the same time, Ryan notes a “myth” that he says is happening in America today. “The myth is we are alright, the family is alright, the kids are alright and our business is alright. But, nothing is alright. We just had a longtime Eugene business supply store close down. I was there on Sept. 13 for its 90 percent off sale. We had people lining up to buy very nice office chairs for nine bucks.”
In turn, Ryan points to “what you read on the Internet, on TV and even in the movies is also not alright because there’s this view out there to make things alright by affirming that we’ll all rise out of these horrible circumstances and – as we saw on all that goodwill on 9/11 that’s sadly now passed – we don’t have any real sense in our business community that we will weather these difficult circumstances happening right now.”
"Look, I’d love to just give a customer something they need. But, that’s not good for business. But, I think business owners are particularly adept at viewing – and then trying to understand – customers under stress. I’ve found that a bit of empathy and compassion does help them and business. They are more inclined to purchase something when they do have money if they know I care,” explained Ryan as his eyes went wet with real pain when sharing stories about his customers who’ve lost their homes and jobs.
Helping workers detox from bad jobs or no jobs needs help from business
While you won’t find many business people with the same compassion and empathy as Ryan -- and others with “heart” here in Eugene -- there is a movement, states development teacher Heather Mills in the U.K., that asks local businesses to help workers uncover “their strengths and passions” that, in turn, will make them better customers.
Mills, whose advice was recently featured on the stevenaitchison.co.uk website titled “Let the 14-Day Work Detox Begin.”
Signs that you may need a work detox:
-- You devote most of your time, energy, and thoughts to work.
-- You feel stressed or anxious about work when you’re not working.
-- Your personal relationships have deteriorated or decreased in number.
-- You don’t feel like you have time for hobbies or creative outlets.
-- You don’t allow yourself to laugh, play, or be silly.
-- You’re afraid if you don’t “work hard,” then you’ll be a failure.
-- You’re passive aggressive, resentful, or overly competitive with colleagues.
-- You’re working longer, but not accomplishing more.
“Work is the main source of identity in our culture. We want to know what others do for work, and feel compelled to tell them about our own work, even if we have to make it sound better than it is. Sometimes we take it too far and rely on work to determine our self-worth. It’s a losing game, however, to depend on work to determine our identity, value, and significance. We end up limiting our ability to fully express who we are. When we spend all of our time working or obsessively checking our work email, we leave no space for other parts of our identities,” states Mills.
In turn, Ryan said he’s used the Mills formula to better understand his customers who’ve lost their jobs. “In Eugene we have two groups. There’s the professionals who work, work, work, and then want to enjoy the good life. Then we have the former workers who are bitter about not having work. I find it interesting to talk to both groups – with a bit of compassion -- in my business so I can better serve both groups.”
Also, Ryan thinks this “awareness,” has allowed me to begin to change my own habits, by “shifting perspectives” that Mills explains is an important starting point to cultivating a more balanced business and life in this time of recession.
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