SUNDAY FUNDAY

SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

WOOO - we are nearing the end of summer!!!  The days (or the daytime hours) are getting shorter; the heat is backing off (although still in the 90s).  And LABOR DAY is tomorrow!!!  And we’ve had some rain!!!

Now that I’m retired, holidays are much different. I’ve worked most holidays for the past three years. (Senior Living and Nursing homes don’t close for holidays!!!)  And I will be working on Labor Day!!  

It’s hard to say “I’m laboring” on Labor Day.  Helping seniors eat dinner isn’t quite “labor.” 

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But let’s talk about labor today.  

The four factors of production are land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship (https://www.wichita.edu/academics/business/CIBA/wtc/documents/FourFactorsOfProduction_Investing101_USNews.pdf) 

Generally, successful people and successful businesses make the most of these four factors. But today, LABOR.

Labor is work.  If you have a job, you are working; if you are working, you are “labor.”  We view businesses as a division of management and labor.  As a professor, there was management.  Management could be like a board overseeing the campus, a president, some vice presidents, deans, and associate deans.  I was a dean for five years and a department chair for ten years.  (Department Chairs are both management and labor - a position between the two entities.) 

Profits (for profit-making companies) are related to labor—the cheaper (and better) labor is, generally, the higher the profit. An example of this is slavery—having people work for nothing (other than food, clothes, and housing) should lower a company's cost and increase its revenue (profit).  But slavery is terrible.  Even cheap jobs like working at a fast food restaurant can be pretty demeaning.

We see this in many examples, but restaurants might be a good example. McDonald's wants to profit, but national and state laws require a minimum wage. Paying employees minimum wage might mean higher prices, but higher product prices might drive a potential customer to another restaurant. Recent news highlights this—McDonald's meals cost more, and revenue decreased. They are now attempting to have lower prices and yet pay an appropriate wage to employees.  If your labor costs are too high, you may lose business because your expenses are high.  If your labor costs are too low, you risk employee turnover (“Hey boss, I quit; I can make more at Wendy's”).

In the past, when employees demanded more money and management refused, employees used strikes to pester management into paying them more. An extensive discussion was held on ‘what a fair wage is’.  A thirty-something person with a family needs more money than an eighteen-year-old “kid” (yes, they aren’t really “kids”). 

We have a great labor force in this country.  We salute you - people who work!!!

I’m going on strike.  I’m not making any money on this blog!!  (Okay, this is a “labor of love”!!)

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LABOR DAY AND COMPUTING JOKES

I asked if I could leave work early the other day, and the boss said,” Yes if I made up the time." I said, "Sure, it's twenty past fourteen."
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Why did the employee get fired from the calendar factory? He took a day off.
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A man walks into a bar, and it's empty - it's just him and the bartender. He sits down and orders a drink.

He hears someone whisper, "Pssst...I like your tie." The man looks around but doesn't see anyone.

"Pssst...that color looks nice on you."

He asks the bartender, "Excuse me, but...are you speaking to me?" The bartender rolls his eyes and says, "No, sorry about that. It's the peanuts... they're complimentary."
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Teacher: "Anyone who thinks he's stupid may stand up!" *Nobody stands up*

Teacher: "I'm sure there are some stupid students here!" *Little Johnny stands up* Teacher: "Ohh, Johnny, you think you're stupid?"

Little Johnny: "No, I just feel bad that you're standing alone."
***

Phil walks into his boss's office one day and says, "Sir, I'll be honest with you. I know the economy isn't great, but I've got three companies after me, and I'd like to ask for a raise, respectfully." After a few minutes of haggling, the boss finally agrees to give him a 5 percent raise, and he happily gets up to leave. "By the way," the boss asks as Phil leaves his office, "which three companies are after you?" Phil replies, "The electric company, water company, and phone company."
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Do you know what they say about a clean desk? It's a sure sign of a cluttered desk drawer.  (Ah, that’s why my desk is clean - my drawers are FULL!!!)
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I phoned a call center today, and it said all the advisors were engaged. I was delighted for them, but my fridge is still broken.
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Why did you leave your last job? The company relocated and didn't tell me where.
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The banker fell overboard from a friend's sailboat. The friend grabbed a life preserver, held it up, not knowing if the banker could swim, and shouted, "Can you float alone?" "Obviously," the banker replied, "but this is quite an interesting time to talk business."
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Standing in front of the shredder, the new employee looked confused, so a supervisor offered to help.

Supervisor: 'Are you okay?'
New Employee: 'I'm trying to get this thing to work?'
Supervisor: She grabs the document from his hands and feeds it through.
New Employee: 'Oh great, thanks! But where do I get the copies from?'
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Boss: Can you work this weekend?
Me: Yeah, no worries, but I'll probably be late as public transport is slow on weekends.
Boss: What time will you get here?
Me: Monday.
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The boss says, "This is the third time you've been late for work this week. Do you know what that means?"
Me: That it's only Wednesday?
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An employee had a conversation with the boss.

Boss: Do you believe in life after death?
Employee: No, because there is no proof of it.
Boss: Well, there is now!
After you left yesterday saying that you had to go to your grandma's funeral, she called the office looking for you.
(I had students tell me that they were going to grandma’s funeral when I had a test!!)
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HR manager: 'Just go to hell!'
Me: 'So, should I stay or leave? I'm confused.'
(I had only one job that was like that!!!)

Q: How many computer programmers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None, that's a hardware problem.
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Years ago, I “knew” a lot about computers and computing.  Now that I’m not teaching (for eleven years), I realize that I know almost nothing about computers and computing!!! 
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LOGIC PROBLEM:

A company moved - and all - every single employee had a shorter commute.  How could this be?

Answer:  They were previously at the end of a dead end industrial road; they relocated closer to the main road!!

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WRAP UP

Happy Labor Day!!!  WOOOO!!

Karen White, September 1, 2024

(Next week - football season)