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There's a lot of good advice here telling the employee how to act. I concur with most of it. Let me add something from another perspective: Speaking as a sta
by tjic 17y ago
There's a lot of good advice here telling the employee how to act. I concur with most of it.
Let me add something from another perspective:
Speaking as a startup owner who has had money problems from time to time:
a) crap happens
b) your hourly people, who have no equity, deserve every single cent. Whether answering phones, stuffing boxes, or whatever, these people work hard, and you MUST pay them every penny, on the day it's due.
c) Folks who have equity, and will see some upside in good times, can be asked (ASKED, not TOLD) if they are willing to make sacrifices for the success of the team. Ask them ahead of time - preferably well ahead of time.
d) When a startup has successes, it's because of your people. When a startup has problems, it's because of leadership. Get out your spoon and start eating shit ^H^H^H humble pie. Tell your people that screw ups happened, and - because the buck stops with you - YOU are the cause. Apologize to your people.
e) LEADERS LEAD FROM THE FRONT.
The last point is the most important. Before an owner asks anyone to take even a temporary pay cut, he should cut his own pay to the bone. Before he misses a payroll for other people, he should have already skipped a paycheck or two.
Startups come and go, but 50 years from now, your reputation, and your sense of self will still be with you. Make sure that you are scrupulously ethical with your people.
Travis J I Corcoran, President
SmartFlix
- edw519 17y ago"Startups come and go, but 50 years from now, your reputation, and your sense of self will still be with you. Make sure that you are scrupulously ethical with your people." Goes without saying, but sure is nice to see anyway. Thank you, Travis. [Aside: Don't compromise the quality of your otherwise excellent posts. Move your signature and company link off of your comment and onto your profile where it belongs. You are obviously a pro. Look like one here.]
- tjic 17y agoI intended to have the sig block, so that folks could see that I wasn't just pontificating about what others should do. I have, however, removed the link. Good point. Thanks.
- mrbgty 17y agoThis list is awesome. I would love to work for someone like you. My experience has been that even when the leader/ceo/whatever decides to cut their own pay in that situation, it is done in some sneaky way that doesn't really result in much loss to their overall pay.
- tjic 17y ago> This list is awesome. I would love to work for someone like you. Thank you. I appreciate that.
- raghus 17y agoBefore an owner asks anyone to take even a temporary pay cut, he should cut his own pay to the bone. Before he misses a payroll for other people, he should have already skipped a paycheck or two. How can you tell for sure if the owner/CEO has in fact taken a pay-cut or missed a pay period or two? I am sure they all say they've have gone without pay for 3 months already. I am asking this in all seriousness.
- tjic 17y agoFunny answer: when I go out to grab a $6 burrito with some of my coworkers, I have to borrow ... um ... $6. Serious answer: I think that my people would say that I conduct myself in ways small and large such that they don't wonder for a second if I'm telling the truth or not.