Kyle Sombrero finishes preparing another frozen treat at Cold Stone Creamery in Victoria Ward Centre.
Summer work
has its perks
Younger employees are picking jobs
based on the benefits offered
With all the news about employers finding it difficult to find workers, bosses need to consider the burning question: What are the perks of the job?
Particularly with younger employees -- all work and pay being equal at or slightly above minimum wage -- it's the side benefits that count, things that don't matter much to CEOs but mean a lot to those eking by.
The PerksFor the most part, employers resist talking about specific perks because they want to find workers interested in the job rather than side benefits. But here's a sampling of what you might find out there:Toys n' Joys: Part-time and full-time workers receive a discount on merchandise from the store, which specializes in anime and video games, according to store manager Alex Le. Beadmania: Aiea store manager Kathleen Vowels said employees receive a discount on the shop's notions, beads and associated items. Sunglass Design, Ala Moana Center: Formerly Shades of California, the business offers traditional benefits such as medical and vacation to all employees, plus employee discount and family discounts on merchandise to full-time and part-time employees. Sanrio, Ala Moana Center: Full-time employees receive a discount on store purchases. To keep seasonal or part-time employees in the loop, the store also offers incentive games based on sales and productivity. Honolulu Florist: Tammy Kaku, a designer at the floral shop, said perks not only come in monetary form -- with 30 to 50 percent off depending on time of year and purchases -- but as promotions for those who show initiative. "You're trained from the ground up here," said the employee of three years. "A helper would answer telephones, water plants and make sure the buckets are clean. And if you want to do more, you can if you want to, and work your way up."
|
Sombrero, 18, has been working 50 hours a week at two part-time jobs while he's home for the summer. He spends most of his time at Cold Stone, cheerfully scooping ice cream and making waffle bowls while singing for tips, but he also works at a Japanese restaurant where he is training to become a waiter. In addition to his formal work schedule, he also baby-sits and takes summer courses at the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus.
While some of the money will go toward dorm expenses at the University of Puget Sound, where he is a sophomore majoring in economics, his dream is to save enough for a back-packing trip to Europe.
"I can't really think of any other way to spend the summer," said Sombrero. "I think I'm just one of those people who does better when they're doing a lot."
Sombrero also could tell you that he loves his job because of the great people he works with, including his sister, Candice, 17, and the responsibility he's learned along the way.
While those are some of his reasons for returning for another summer at Cold Stone Creamery, not all of his reasons for taking the job are altruistic.
Youths' limited income often reflect their minimal work experience. For newly minted employees, job satisfaction can often be measured in perks -- not vacation time, 401(k)s or yearly raises that are a measure of one's career, but short-term fringe benefits such as free meals and merchandise discounts -- while they're in the process of learning responsibility and building up their resumes.
Carolyn Cudal, manager of Quizno's in Hawaii Kai, said she's looking for people who aren't afraid of cooking and cleaning.
In exchange for their hard work, employees receive 50 percent off meals and uniforms.
But for Bradley Ebapo, the plus side of working at Quizno's is the opportunity to work with one of his best friends, Nick Castro.
"I want to keep this job as long as I can," he said. "The people are really nice."
Although Ebapo is only 15, he's already on his second job. When his first job "didn't work out," he moved on to Quizno's five months ago, located next door to his old workplace.
Lena Kalahiki-Roe, 18, also earns a paycheck in the food-retail business, at KFC. While she likes how employees receive 50 percent off meals as long as they eat on the premises, she chose her job because her workplace is just down the road from Castle High School, where she graduated this year.
For Kalahiki-Roe, working full-time has been a positive experience. "I've learned how to become more responsible, like I used to abuse my cell phone privileges, but now I'm much more responsible and cut back on extra expenses."
This is her second job. She started by helping her grandmother do janitorial work for an hour and a half a day, but Kalahiki-Roe decided to find a job with more hours.
Her manager Jerry Ufuti is glad she chose KFC.
"There are a lot of fast-food restaurants in this area, so teenagers have their choice of where to work," said Ufuti.
Gerry Yago, manager of Burger King in Kailua, agrees with Ufuti. He's looking for employees for his Kailua branch, and although summer is the perfect time to find people with flexible schedules, if little experience, he's having trouble finding people with open schedules.
"Everywhere you look, there are 'Now hiring' signs up and down the street," he said.
Yago said the average employee at his Burger King store is in his or her late 20s, not teens.
"We just aren't getting them in here. I don't know why. We're always looking for teenagers, not just during the summer," he said.
Lena Kalahiki-Roe, 18, serves up some chicken at KFC in Kaneohe. She says the work experience has taught her responsibility and to appreciate privileges such as her cell phone.
Ufuti, who's been a KFC manager for 21 years, says she can spot a good counter worker by the person's ability to make eye contact.
"I go off first impressions," said Ufuti. "If they look me straight in the eye, they will probably be up front. If they are shy, they will be hired for the back, cooking."
Kalahiki-Roe wasn't placed in the kitchen when she got hired, but says she was a shy person when she started work at KFC in February. Standing at the drive-through window made her anxious as she watched the cars line up.
"I was so nervous," she said. "But now that I have a system down, drive-through is my favorite thing to do."
Sombrero said he felt the same first-day jitters. Although he is a well-spoken, articulate person, he says he was a different person when he walked into Cold Stone Creamery two years ago.
"I was an extremely shy person. I didn't say much," he said, to the point where he spent most of his first day on the job hiding from customers. "Now I am much more outgoing and talkative," Sombrero said.
His father encouraged him to take the job, to help him overcome his self-consciousness.
"I had head this rumor that you had to sing for tips (over a dollar)," said Sombrero. "And it was true. I was hiding in the back room, peeking out and seeing this long line of customers. I didn't want to go out front but my manager was pushing me out the door, saying, 'Go Kyle!'"
"Oh, yeah, we really helped him," said Ewart.
AT THE Aiea Bowl Drive Inn & Coffee Shop, the help is mostly all teenagers, as are the customers. The 40 people who work for Glen Ewa receives 20 percent off their meals, but in exchange, Ewa says he'd better see hard work.
"I want to see some imitative," says the no-nonsense boss. "Don't stand around and look pretty. I don't want dead wood."
Aaron Fukuda, a former employee of Ewa's, offers a cautionary word to those with a less-than-enthusiastic attitude toward their first jobs: Take your job seriously, because you never know where a job is going to lead you.
Fukuda's first job working for Ewa was as a dishwasher.
"I began work at 7 a.m. When I got into work, there would be a nice, big pile of dishes waiting for me. Once the dishes were cleared, I would move on to making plate lunches, scooping rice and making saimin."
Fukuda didn't know how to cook when he started his job, but after his shift ended and the kitchen was closed, he experimented with new ingredients and recipes, basing his success on his co-worker's expressions.
He had planned to become an architect, but switched careers, going back to his "first love," cooking. Fukuda is now the head chef at Sam Choy's Diamond Head restaurant, where he's worked for eight years, working his way up from an assistant chef position.
"Everyone's got to eat, right? There will always be jobs in the field," he said. "I've been working since I was 17 and it paid off."
E-mail to Features Desk
[News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Do It Electric!]
[Classified Ads] [Search] [Subscribe] [Info] [Letter to Editor]
[Feedback]
