There is a Chinese Buffet near my home that I used to visit once or twice a week when I worked for Cirrus ABS.
I believe it is a family run business.
Every day the same employees are working.
Lunch and dinner.
Every day.
7 days a week.
They are closed maybe 2 or 3 days a year.
This is not easy work.
362 days a year, greeting customers with a smile, cleaning off tables, preparing and handling trays of hot food, day in and day out.
Compare that to the folks who work 40 or 50 hours a week.
50 hours x 50 weeks = 2500 hours a year.
These folks are working 13 hour days.
13 hours x 362 days per year = 4706 hours a year.
That’s what I call working for it.
But do they have a choice? The same goes for the Mexican population. I don’t work with any (Chinese or Mexican citizens) but my dad does… he said that the Mexican workers work harder than anyone else at his plant. These persons want a chance to live and work in the United States, and feel they have to work that hard to make it. I would imagine they work like that in their respective countries, too.
On the other hand, think of the money they save by not hiring additional help. They are keeping all of their profits. Trust me, they take time off… no human could physically or mentally handle that much work… but I know what you are talking about.
How much of this has to do with their heritage and work ethic, and desire to live and work in this country, versus just working hard and making an impact for their business?
Immigrants have traditionally had a higher work ethic, along with 1st generation entrepreneurs, compared to those who had a more comfortable life style in their formative years. I could look for studies to back up those words, but those are my personal observations based on the past 30 years of my life.
Thanks Ricky!