My boss recently asked me what was the hardest part for me about my job. It didn't take me a second to respond:

"This is the first job I've ever had where instead of guiding and educating employees about the job, I am having to start with complete basics. I am having to teach my employees common courtesy and respect for others in the work place, let alone common work ethics. My hats continually switch from mother, babysitter to policeman's cap."

This has been for every job I've had since coming to Detroit. I was a director on Iowa for 12 years before coming here. I never had one abuse case. In 12 years I probably fired 5 employees. I'm sure here I average at least 10 a month. That's a conservative estimate.

I've been told repeatedly that I need to lower my expectations of employees from the Detroit area or I won't have any staff. Sometimes that statement about proved to be right. That thought has never been far from my mind, but this isn't one of the Big 3 factories, this is healthcare. I refuse to budge.

So my day is consistently filled with speaking to employees how it is unacceptable to show up to work 2 hours late, come in dressed like you just rolled out of bed, hanging down in the breakroom when you are supposed to be on the floor, talking to the boyfriend on the phone for 15 minutes with the call lights going off, not calling your co-worker a "ho" in front of patients. That's the minor stuff...I still deal with the abuse, the theft, sleeping on duty and the drugs in the back parking lot. Finally after 4 years...I'm getting the message, I can't teach morals and ethics. It's too late. Momma and Daddy did not do their job correctly.

When I read this article today I had to laugh. A New Spirit at Work-
Leaders Moving to Transform the Business World With Spiritual Values. The goal of the program:

This means redefining business to focus on people and on decisionmaking based on values — like integrity, respect, intuition, and creativity. The shift involves going beyond maximizing profits to considering all stakeholders: employees, customers, vendors, shareholders, and the community.

They might as well save their money. You can not teach integrity and respect. You can hope for an employee showing a proper action at any given point in time, conditioned reflex. Somewhat like teaching a dog to rollover on command and getting a treat. Pavlov's dog comes to mind. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what Pavlov's dog would of done if you would of put a bitch in heat in the room.

The majority of my staff now is very good. We realize now if we do our job we get rewarded, it's called a paycheck and a sense of satisfaction of doing a good job. Some will never get the concept that you actually have to work to have a job and a paycheck. Getting a paycheck is not a right for existing.