Winter weather

          This week the weather changed. Here in Southern California, we don't have fall. We have a Thursday that is still smoldering and then Friday requires a down jacket. Snow and rain and all sorts of crap mean that the things I planned get done on my lone free Saturday will be relegated to the next day that is over 80 degrees, or in other words, next week.
          Tackling some honey do's inside caused me to think a lot about the lesson I learned this week about a company who pays it's employees to quit. This is overly simplistic, of course, and leaves out why and how they do it. They introduce their new hires to their business model and suggest that if they cannot handle it or don't want to, then they will pay them a modest sum to leave then and there. At first blush this seems like a good program and likely works for them, but leaves out the fact that the economy is in the toilet and wise people will do their best to go with the flow as the modest sum they would be paid to leave may not keep them afloat until they found another job. In this day and age, one would be wise to take just about any job and labor intensely to keep things together at least until some sufficient money has been made. In short, I do not know if I agree with this practice but it has certainly given rise to a lot of thoughts about how to retain employees and have them be emotionally invested in the company. Without happy employees, your business will not succeed.
          When I first started with my current company, and for some time afterward,  I was very pleased with my job. In the last year, that has changed dramatically. The company currently owes me a lot of money, and though it is not quite their fault that we all have not been paid, I feel my satisfaction slipping away. Once it is gone, it won't be coming back, so I am struggling with how to make myself happier in this situation, as it is still the best situation for me, at least for the next nine months. The rain isn't helping.
          We had another successful week with the $100 challenge and were very productive and on pace to finish well.