Meet the New Boss

Several hours later, I got a call from one of my managers, Jeff Keenan, during which he briefly explained that my "no call, no show" was grounds for termination, but then added, in a very deliberate tone, "But I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow, right?" That job ended up paying my rent for the next five years and financing all of the adventures I've been on and grown through since. Eventually, I was even regarded as an exemplary employee, which was a crucial element in finding my current day job. But none of that would have been possible if Jeff had fired me, the way most other people in his position would have.

Keenan and his wife, Kari, now own and operate the ChocolateSmith and Whoo's Donuts on Cerrillos Road. I sat down with them awhile back in my office on the patio of Second Street Brewery to talk about their experiences with Santa Fe's worker pool.

Jeff helped open the Santa Fe branch of our former employer's chain. "In that first year, I think I, personally, interviewed over 1,000 people. That's just what the turnover was like there." It speaks directly to a likely reason I didn't lose my job when I should have; despite being young, uncommitted and irresponsible, when I showed up to work I actually did my job to the best of my ability. As both an objective and subjective observer—having spent equal time on either side of the service counter—I have to say that's a rare thing in this town. Having lived (and looked for work) in other countries as well as other parts of this one, I also strongly subscribe to the notion that New Mexico's notoriously laid-back "mañana" attitude greatly contributes to our lackluster workforce.

The Keenans were adamant in expressing that the majority of the staff they currently have working for them are excellent employees, and their businesses now function much as an extension of their family. But it wasn't always like that. In order to end up with the dedicated staff they now employ, they had to suffer some bad eggs along the way. "A lot of the people you end up hiring in this town," Kari explains, "identify primarily as something other than what they do to pay the bills. So if you're an artist or a musician or a writer, your day job is never going to be as important to you."

Jeff adds, "As a small business, you have a lot less financial buffer with which to absorb your employees' shortcomings. If someone calls in and nobody's there to open the shop, or someone's stealing from the register, I feel that loss a lot more than a big chain would."

It's an interesting take on the economic realities of a town like ours that, frankly, I had never even considered. One doesn't really think very often about specifically why so few people seem to care about their jobs, and probably even more rarely about how many higher priorities one has in one's own life. But perhaps if more businesses were run by the small, familial model exemplified in the Keenans' enterprises, more people would have a reason to care about the gig that pays the bills.

Santa Fe Reporter