密歇根新闻广播 小企业因病毒考虑裁员

 

Wednesday afternoon, walk-in business at Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea is slow. Only a handful of customers trickle¹ in to get a to-go coffee, while customers wait in a small lineup of cars outside in the drive-through.

Franchise² owner Kristin Jackson says she's keeping the store open as long as she can following the Governor's order to stop service to sit-down customers as part of the effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.

She has bills to pay, "rent, utilities, payroll³, taxes, insurance," and she wants to keep at least a few of her employees working.

Jackson says deciding who to let go was a bit of a business owners' Sophie's Choice, "based on how badly they need a pay check basically. Because some people are living on their own and this is their only job and this is how they survive with rent and food. But other people are maybe still living at home."

So, as of now, about 18 of Jackson's employees are on unpaid⁴ leave, and about six are continuing to work.

"It's heart breaking, because a lot of people need this," says Jackson, her voice getting a little wobbly. "And we just kind of came up with what we thought was most logical."

For Sweetwaters Team Leader Cameron LaVallee, the answer to, "can you go without a paycheck?" was easy.

"I have to work," he says. "I have to pay for rent and utilities."

LeVallee isn't sure what he will do if Sweetwaters has to close up completely for a while. Ask his landlord for a hiatus on rent, maybe.

Meanwhile, Jackson estimates she can keep going like this for — maybe — two more months.

Some small business owners have already laid workers off, as opposed to just unpaid leave.

Liz Blondy is the owner of Canine⁵ To Five, a pet care facility with locations in Detroit and Ferndale that offers dog day care, boarding, grooming⁶, and training.

With so many people working from home, and hanging out with their dogs all day, business has slumped⁷. Blondy told 23 employees — about 75% of her staff — they were laid off on Tuesday.

A few have already tried to phone the state's unemployment number. But they couldn't get through.

"For somebody who's never had any experience negotiating this unemployment system, this is going to be really confusing for a lot of people, and for a lot of small business owners," says Blondy.

The day after Blondy laid off staff, the state issued some guidance for employers contemplating⁸ potential layoffs⁹, including information about a program called Work Share that's designed to help employers avoid laying off staff. She's been busy trying to understand what that program is all about.

"It's only full time employees who are eligible¹⁰, and actually it's a lot of work on the employers' part now, which is fine, but it's a lot of uncertainty¹¹, still," says Blondy. "So, I've not communicated that with my employees at this point because I don't want to continue to give them misinformation."

Blondy says no mater what happens, she's going to keep her business going to care for the pets of first responders and health care workers — even if that means 24/7 shifts by herself and her seven branch managers.

She's hoping it doesn't come to that.

"I never dreamed that this could happen," she said. "I thought that my business — we got through the last recession. And I couldn't think of much that could take us down. But I guess I didn't think of a global pandemic."

1 trickle   

vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散

参考例句：

• The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
• The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。

2 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

3 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。

4 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。

5 canine   

adj.犬的，犬科的

参考例句：

• The fox is a canine animal.狐狸是犬科动物。
• Herbivorous animals have very small canine teeth,or none.食草动物的犬牙很小或者没有。

6 grooming   

n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发

参考例句：

• You should always pay attention to personal grooming. 你应随时注意个人仪容。
• We watched two apes grooming each other. 我们看两只猩猩在互相理毛。

7 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

8 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

9 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌

10 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

11 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。