My mother is 83. She doesn't look it, and she is still fiercely independent.
It disturbs me, though, that now my mother has reached a venerable age, she appears to be increasingly vulnerable to cold-callers.
In the summer, she had a very persuasive sales person call, and after some time, she was persuaded to sign an order for new soffit boards around her house. If my mother has a fault, she finds is very hard to say "no", particularly when the sales person comes across as being so charming.
I managed to get the order cancelled, and we had her soffit boards striipped and re-painted by a reputable builder for a fraction of the signed order price.
Yesterday, my mother was called again, on the telephone, by a company offering to come and survey her security at home. Again, finding it hard to say "no", mother tentatively agreed to make an appointment. Fortunately, I was with her when the company called back to confirm the appointment. With mother on the phone, I told her to inform the company that she wasn't interested, and this message was passed on.
The reply from the company representative?
"Oh, he's a mind reader is he?", and with that the representative hung up!
I appreciate that economic times are tough, but I would urge companies to deal with the ageing population with a modicum of respect and compassion. It must be relatively easy for the unethical sales person to get their foot in the door of someone of a certain age, and then charm them into signing a piece of paper that they barely have time to peruse. I would question whether that was selling at all, or just insidious bullying.
In the past couple of years, my mother has lost her husband, broken her arm in a fall, had an attempted burglary at her home while she was in bed and had a suspected heart attack (she is fine!). She loves her home and her independence, and doesn't need to be badgered by sales people looking for the quickest and easiest route to commission.
Tuesday 29 November 2011
Friday 25 November 2011
A contentious perspective?
BBC Breakfast ran a report this morning on Nick Clegg's scheme to boost employment for the 1m out-of-work 16 - 24 year olds.
Unfortunately, the two guests they had on the sofa, representing youth unemployment, were not, on the face of it, wholly marketable. I know that may sound disparaging as the young man being interviewed has had learning difficulties, by his own admission, so is at a disadvantage. What I couldn't understand was the angle at which the BBC was trying to approach this story.
There is no doubt that something has to be done to improve the employment prospects in this country for the 16 - 24 year old population. One of the fundamantal issues that needs to be addressed before anything else is the commercial viability of such employees.
No amount of government incentive, or schemes to encourage apprenticeships, means a thing if the individuals who are employed are not educated to a standard that gives them a chance to offer the employer some hope of recouping their investment. The employment, training and ongoing development of any employee is a heavy investment! Any employer will want to see a return on that investment at some stage.
It has got to be remembered that the commercial sector is not a charity, and if any decision is taken to employ someone, there is a cost involved. I applaud any scheme that encourages business to employ young people, and if there is a financial incentive, then even better. BUT, at the end of the day, the employee still has to prove their worth to the employer.
Of the 1m young people who are unemployed, I know that there is a vast percentage who could be extremely commercially viable with the right training, encouragement and opportunity. Business needs to see these people, and they need to be encouraged to give these people a chance. It is a hard fact that business will not want to invest in young people who do not represent value for money or increased productivity, and no scheme will change that point of view.
Concentrate on getting the employable 16 - 24 year olds into work now, and then look at ways to help the more disadvantaged to get the right work placements that will be of benefit to both them and their employers.
Unfortunately, the two guests they had on the sofa, representing youth unemployment, were not, on the face of it, wholly marketable. I know that may sound disparaging as the young man being interviewed has had learning difficulties, by his own admission, so is at a disadvantage. What I couldn't understand was the angle at which the BBC was trying to approach this story.
There is no doubt that something has to be done to improve the employment prospects in this country for the 16 - 24 year old population. One of the fundamantal issues that needs to be addressed before anything else is the commercial viability of such employees.
No amount of government incentive, or schemes to encourage apprenticeships, means a thing if the individuals who are employed are not educated to a standard that gives them a chance to offer the employer some hope of recouping their investment. The employment, training and ongoing development of any employee is a heavy investment! Any employer will want to see a return on that investment at some stage.
It has got to be remembered that the commercial sector is not a charity, and if any decision is taken to employ someone, there is a cost involved. I applaud any scheme that encourages business to employ young people, and if there is a financial incentive, then even better. BUT, at the end of the day, the employee still has to prove their worth to the employer.
Of the 1m young people who are unemployed, I know that there is a vast percentage who could be extremely commercially viable with the right training, encouragement and opportunity. Business needs to see these people, and they need to be encouraged to give these people a chance. It is a hard fact that business will not want to invest in young people who do not represent value for money or increased productivity, and no scheme will change that point of view.
Concentrate on getting the employable 16 - 24 year olds into work now, and then look at ways to help the more disadvantaged to get the right work placements that will be of benefit to both them and their employers.
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