As I wrote in the Saturday Observer, the Charlotte Chamber isn’t going on an inter-city visit this year, opting to stay home and study what’s here. I gave some suggestions for what they should do and see, such as have a locavore dinner and hear from artists and people with lots of piercings.
But what would you recommend they see? (And for the purposes of this blogposting, let’s all assume those who wish to have already visited whatever topless bars they care to.) If you want to vote on the Chamber’s online poll, here’s a link.
Chatting with Chamber president Bob Morgan, I asked if he, too had observed more people uptown dressing more formally? Just in the past several months, it seems, I’ve seen more guys in suits and ties and fewer in khakis and knit shirts or jeans and sport shirts. Morgan said he’d noticed the same thing. We speculated people afraid of being laid off are dressing up more, and those already laid off are trying to look professional as they look for new work.
Then, he noted something else. In conversations he’s hearing, he said, “It’s no longer about work-life balance. It’s now about ‘work ethic.’ “
Not unexpected, of course. When times get tough, companies want workers who’ll put in long hours, not whine about pay/benefits and not have to deal with those pesky “family” problems such as sick kids or ailing parents.