Breaking nearly all the HR working directives, failing to observe health and safety and forcing long and inhumane working conditions on his staff, could this individual be the worst employer in the world?
Despite being much loved by customers, those who work for him could well have a very different opinion of his working practices and constant demands for perfection.
But who is this terrible employer who flouts all the employment laws and fails to take care of his staff? It’s someone you’ll all be very familiar with: Santa Claus.
Here’s a look at just why you should be very happy that this festive season you don’t work at the North Pole.
Hazardous working conditions
There’s absolutely no indications that Santa pays any regard whatsoever to “elf and safety”, with all his attention focused on the objectives, he completely ignores any mishaps which could occur along the way.
The sleigh is clearly overloaded with presents, and that sack doesn’t appear to be secured in any way – and have you ever seen Santa wearing a seatbelt? And let’s not even start to discuss how fast he needs to travel in order to cover the globe in just one night.
But it’s not just about Santa’s safety. The working conditions in the factory appear to be dubious at best, with toys stacked up everywhere causing trip and fall hazards. But it’s the reindeer which have it the worst, forced to land on slippery roofs with no steady footing and made to wait while Santa delivers to each house. Surely it’s just a matter of time before those poor creatures come crashing off and fall to the ground?
Failure to plan and delegate
With so many households to deliver to, there’s a huge pressure on Santa’s employees to get everything ready on time and to make sure he leaves the North Pole promptly.
However, with children in bed when Santa arrives, there’s no reason why the big man couldn’t enlist some temporary help to get the presents out. This would reduce the pressure on the elves and create a much less stressful working environment.
Complying with the Working Time Directive
There’s a lot of hard work at Santa’s Workshop and forget about the working time directive
n the lead up to the big event, the elves at the North Pole are put under a huge amount of pressure to churn out all of the toys needed for children all over the world. However, it is their right to refuse to work for longer than 48 hours in any given week. It’s extremely doubtful that given the time constraints that the elves are given the opportunity to assert their rights.
And as for Santa himself, he’s an accident waiting to happen. With roughly 200 million square miles to cover, the 24 hour delivery period is a mad rush and there’s no sign that Santa takes a break. While his commitment to the cause is admirable, there’s no indication that he rests for at least 11 hours in the 24 hour period, nor takes any breaks. Unless you count knocking back whisk, milk and cookies en route…
Failure to innovate
Santa Claus – perhaps the worst employer in the world?
Think about it: Santa is such a magical entity that he manages to visit around 200 million children in a single 24 hour period, has a factory with elves in and has reindeer that can fly – yet still refuses to update his methods of delivery.
As an employer, Santa’s methods of production are still entirely manual, forcing the elves into hard labour to produce the goods and there’s been no updates on the method of delivery since time began.
Surely with all his powers and magical prowess Santa could have come up with a more modern way of delivering the presents more effectively, reducing the strain on his workers and making the North Pole a generally more pleasant place to be?
Conclusion
This year when you’re unwrapping your presents under the tree, just remember all the work and effort which has gone into producing and delivering the goodies….and thank your lucky stars that you don’t work at the North Pole!
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