There's an anecdote from The Depression era…
A man is walking past a construction site where dozens of men are digging with shovels. He asks the foreman "Why don't you use a backhoe for this? It would take less time and cost less money."
The foreman shakes his head. "That may be true, but it would put all of these men out of work."
"Ah", says the other man, "If you just want to give them work, why not have them use spoons?"
The same story, with slight variations, is told of other times and places. I found one that placed it in China.
I thought of this today at the Job. As I came across the parking lot, a man was out with the leaf blower. He's there most mornings at about the same time.
The office building is on a lot planted with many eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus trees drop long, thin leaves, longer strips of bark, and little "kisses" (seed pods). Pushing this stuff around with a leaf blower can't be easy under the best of circumstances. Personally, I'd use a rake or a broom.
But today… today it's very wet. From last night, into the early hours of this morning, we had a lot of rain. That means the lot is now covered with a lot of wet leaves, long pieces of loose bark, and sticky "kisses". Moving these around with a leaf blower has to be next to impossible.
I have commented on this man to my co-workers. I have had people say "Yes, but… that's his job. He has to do it or he doesn't get paid." I suppose this is true.
If giving him a job is the goal, why not trade the leaf blower for a whisk broom, a dust pan, and a rolling trash can? It would work better, take longer, and make far less noise when people are trying to concentrate 30 feet away (walls notwithstanding).
Slightly Off KIlter 