I won't defend Weyco's decision, which I think was abysmal. But I am willing to defend their right to make that decision, at least up to a point.
No, I don't want my employer telling me what I can and cannot do in my free time. But I also don't want the government telling me who I can and cannot fire.
As Prester Scott and I discussed above, at some point, employers may, as a group, make such egregious hiring/firing decisions that it is necessary for the government to step in and redress these. I don't think Weyco's policy has reached that point yet. I will hold out hope that their poor management is punished by the marketplace and fixes itself that way, rather than spreading like contagion and forcing the government to step in with a heavy-handed "solution". Because I can guarantee you that whatever fix the government makes, it will cause problems for honest employers. The spectre of lawsuits has already made it much harder to fire people for poor performance, especially anyone who falls into a "protected class". And that, in turn, means fewer rewards for good performance -- and fewer employers willing to take a chance on a newcomer, knowing that it'll be difficult to get rid of anyone who doesn't work out.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-01-28 06:59 pm (UTC)No, I don't want my employer telling me what I can and cannot do in my free time. But I also don't want the government telling me who I can and cannot fire.
As Prester Scott and I discussed above, at some point, employers may, as a group, make such egregious hiring/firing decisions that it is necessary for the government to step in and redress these. I don't think Weyco's policy has reached that point yet. I will hold out hope that their poor management is punished by the marketplace and fixes itself that way, rather than spreading like contagion and forcing the government to step in with a heavy-handed "solution". Because I can guarantee you that whatever fix the government makes, it will cause problems for honest employers. The spectre of lawsuits has already made it much harder to fire people for poor performance, especially anyone who falls into a "protected class". And that, in turn, means fewer rewards for good performance -- and fewer employers willing to take a chance on a newcomer, knowing that it'll be difficult to get rid of anyone who doesn't work out.