David Siegel threatens employees with layoffs if Obama wins

[Eddie Teach]

Peter, you really think this will hurt Obama? This dude based his warning off a chain email from four years ago, not the company's actual plight.

No, I think it will have an effect that's roughly zero. But it's just as likely some casual uninformed undecided voter reads this story and wonders if he's right and so changes his vote as that same voter deciding that because some random douchebag supports Romney he's going to change his vote.

[DontSayBanana]

Every time tim may posts, I'm laying off 1  employee.

Guess he'll help the economy, since you're going to have to start hiring employees soon just to fire them.

[Camerus]

I guess the only thing worse than owning a timeshare is to work for the company.

[Martinus]

Peter, you really think this will hurt Obama? This dude based his warning off a chain email from four years ago, not the company's actual plight.

No, I think it will have an effect that's roughly zero. But it's just as likely some casual uninformed undecided voter reads this story and wonders if he's right and so changes his vote as that same voter deciding that because some random douchebag supports Romney he's going to change his vote.

I don't know what the level of qualification required to work for the company is, but if it is anything above zero, I would assume the guy loses more qualified workers (who would take the first chance they get to move to a competitor) over that e-mail than he wins votes for Romney. I certainly would start looking for a different job if my employer's corporate standards were so low, he would do stuff like this.

[Eddie Teach]

On the flip side, it may gain him customers(though it may just as easily lose him customers). Though I think you're right on that score. I think it will have a much greater adverse effect on his business than on Romney's campaign.

[merithyn]

I don't know what the level of qualification required to work for the company is, but if it is anything above zero, I would assume the guy loses more qualified workers (who would take the first chance they get to move to a competitor) over that e-mail than he wins votes for Romney. I certainly would start looking for a different job if my employer's corporate standards were so low, he would do stuff like this.

That may have been the case in a better economy. As it is, most people aren't able to look elsewhere for a job because, well, there just aren't a lot out there.

[Martinus]

I don't know what the level of qualification required to work for the company is, but if it is anything above zero, I would assume the guy loses more qualified workers (who would take the first chance they get to move to a competitor) over that e-mail than he wins votes for Romney. I certainly would start looking for a different job if my employer's corporate standards were so low, he would do stuff like this.

That may have been the case in a better economy. As it is, most people aren't able to look elsewhere for a job because, well, there just aren't a lot out there.

That's why I asked about qualified people. I think there is always demand for qualified workers. Unless the US is in a much worse shape than I thought.

[crazy canuck]

I don't know what the level of qualification required to work for the company is, but if it is anything above zero, I would assume the guy loses more qualified workers (who would take the first chance they get to move to a competitor) over that e-mail than he wins votes for Romney. I certainly would start looking for a different job if my employer's corporate standards were so low, he would do stuff like this.

That may have been the case in a better economy. As it is, most people aren't able to look elsewhere for a job because, well, there just aren't a lot out there.

That's why I asked about qualified people. I think there is always demand for qualified workers. Unless the US is in a much worse shape than I thought.

It was in much worse shape then you thought.  But signs are that it might be improving

[Neil]

That's why I asked about qualified people. I think there is always demand for qualified workers. Unless the US is in a much worse shape than I thought.

It's hard to say where your thoughts on the US are right now.  Which Hollywood movies have you seen and mistaken for documentaries lately?

[merithyn]

That's why I asked about qualified people. I think there is always demand for qualified workers. Unless the US is in a much worse shape than I thought.

Interestingly, from an annecdotal perspective, it seems like it's the qualified workers who are having a harder time finding work.

Most of the college grads I know are struggling to find placement. If they have a job, they can't get a different/better one. For every job that's advertised, my company is getting ~100-200 applications for positions that require a certain level of education or experience.

On the flip side, my sister's boyfriend's company (he owns a cement finishing company) can't find good workers, period. Anyone could learn the job within a month or two of training and it doesn't even require a high school diploma, but no one is applying. He's always short-handed and complaining about it. His brother, a landscaper, is running into the same problem. And another of his brothers (he has five) runs another cement finishing company and has to hire union only. He can get folks to come in, but they're horrible workers, show up late, don't do the job, and then walk away before it's done. He can fire them, but when he asks the union to send him more people, he'll get the same guys.

If my back could take it, I even considered going into something similar. Good pay, mostly regular work, union insurance, and great training. Unfortunately, I'm too broken to make a good show of it.