A call from an executive in a manufactured home producing state shared some of the challenges a HUD Code or modular manufacturer faces today.
The executive laid out the higher ratios of addicts applying for work, he told the Daily Business News.
It wasn’t just the opioids, the executive said, which are more prevalent in the news this past year.
It was also those plagued by alcoholism, or other forms of chemical addiction.
He also noted the problem of low skills that were often applying. But it was the chemically dependent addicts who were less reliable, and more likely to quit; often without notice, that the executive focused on.
In another state, a top sales manager called MHProNews to discuss his view of the state of the Manufactured Housing Industry in 2017.
“It’s oversimplifying it, Tony,” the manager said, “but it’s largely true. We see two different types of people here at work, and also among our customer base. There are those who turn to alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism, and there are those who turn to faith in God.”
“I’ve seen and worked with high functioning addicts,” the sales manager said. “But more commonly, it’s the believer who hangs in, overcomes the learning curves and obstacles, to become successful.”
Manufactured Housing Advocate Tye’s Take
The Reverend Donald Tye, Jr. told MHProNews about his experiences working with the addicted over the years.
Policies alone won’t do it, said Tye. “There has to be the realization that the appetite of the addict, the causes that drive the problem must be dealt with.”
Educational deficiencies were another concern Tye addressed with the Daily Business News. It’s an issue raised by other industry professionals in private too, but isn’t discussed as much in public forums.
The polarization of the nation, and the lack of critical thinking are serious realities, Tye believes.
While a polarized public and voting blocks draw headlines routinely, the point made about fewer analytical thinkers, and fewer willing to listen to what another perspective may be are points Tye stressed.
It will be recalled that after the Charlottesville tragedy, the retired Rev. Tye took an active, goal-and-solution oriented part in the effort linked below on MHLivingNews.
“Seek First” a Post-Charlottesville Message of Healing and Principles for America – manufacturedhomelivingnews.com
There are some who want to use race or injustice to justify taking property. There are also those who want to misuse the political and economic system to take advantage of those who have less access to power. Economic problems, educational and moral challenges, despair and other factors can be contributing factors that lead people into drug use.
Addiction, and The Zombie Nation, by the Numbers
The facts bear out the concerns reflected by those industry connected professionals.
Citing their sources, Ashwood Recovery says that “According to reports, over 20 million people nationwide suffer from drug and alcohol abuse issues. Perhaps worse, the cost of treatment and incarceration run nearly $700 billion annually for taxpayers.”
While noting that the “The relationship between drugs and crime is complex,” some “80% of offenders abuse drugs or alcohol,” per the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD).”
Another Reflection of Education, Skills and the Zombie Nation
American Zombies can bleed cross all demographic groups.
But writing for the business journal Forbes, Caroline Beaton focused her gaze on the younger set, saying, “Millennial job seekers receive conflicting messages from employers and career advisors: on the one hand, we’re told robots will someday replace our technical skills, so why bother. On the other hand, we’re told hard skills are a hot commodity.”
Beaton gave examples. “Employers value technical skills, to be sure. But I asked more than 100 top HR managers, recruiters and CEOs which was more important for entry-level job seekers, and nearly all of them said soft skills.”
“We look for candidates with a solid foundation of soft skills and trust so that the rest can be built upon it,” Emőke Starr, Head of HR at Prezi, said. Likewise, Wayfair’s Global Senior Director of Talent Management and Employee Development, Marcy Axelrad, said that Wayfair often doesn’t require entry-level candidates to “have the exact experience in the area for which she/he is interviewing,” per Beaton.
“Traditional soft skills include leadership, communication and collaboration,” the Forbes writer stated.
When some 6 million jobs are open in the U.S. and going unfilled, one has to ask, where are the disconnects?
“155 million Americans regularly play video games. 42 percent of Americans play for at least three hours per week,” according to Polygon.
“Social networking already accounts for 28 percent of all media time spent online,” per the Huffington Post, adding “20% of social networkers say they are “addicted” to their sites.”
“According to a Nielsen report, United States adults are watching five hours and four minutes of television per day on average (35.5 h/week, slightly more than 77 days per year),” states Wikipedia.
Zombies – Culture, Addiction and The Awakening?
“Superficiality is the curse of the modern world.” said Matthew Kelly, a professional consultant known globally as a deeply spiritual businessman.
“Too many tune out others too quickly, jumping to conclusions,” said industry consultant, service provider and the industry’s top publisher, L. A. “Tony” Kovach. “When we quote perhaps the industry’s most known personality on the:
- importance of learning from the lessons of history,
- how the chains of habit can be hard to break,
- the importance of long term plans, and
- the value of reading, and critical thoughts,
those Warren Buffett sayings aren’t a cudgel. They ought to be pondered carefully, seen how they are applied, and those lessons should be taken seriously on their own merits,” said Kovach.
He added, “then they should apply Marty Lavin’s and others that we’ve quoted insights. To use Rev. Tye’s view, are enough people thinking objectively, and analytically? What are the gaps that lead people into some form of habit or addiction?”
“Tim Connor in post-election commentary stressed that whatever a person’s politics, the election was a signal that the nation wanted change,” Kovach said. “People on the left and right alike are talking about the cultural divide, not just about America’s political and economics canyons.”
“When was the last time your favorite network or news source took a look at the last 10, 20 or 50 years,” Kovach said, “and asked, where have we been? What caused us to get here? Where are we going? How have public policies worked out for Americans?”
We need to be the coffee bean in Damon West’s life story, he said, willing to step out and be the change of the hot water around us.
To circle back to a key point of the MH sales manager, he and others clearly took faith into their work. It was among the undercurrents in the comments of manufactured and modular home retailers, producers, community and other professionals that MHProNews has heard from, or interviewed,
These are just some of the concerns readers and those we are interviewing for MHProNews or MHLivingNews are voluntarily telling us about. Many believe that faith in action – taken into the world of work, politics, and the world – will alone solve problems. But as one professional put it, “there’s been a drum beat for years that tells us to compartmentalize your faith from work. There’s a kind of politically correct censorship of all but secular ideas.”
There are numerous business professionals MHProNews has interviewed whose quiet faith makes them who they are. But some are afraid to show it publicly.
Yes, some are laser focused on the bottom-line, and such issues are not mentioned.
But others who are profit-minded, are also socially, spiritually, and culturally minded too.
Without using the words, ‘zombie,’ or ‘awakening’ to the social realities they are describing, some are pointing to the practical consequences of decades of public policies, media, cultural, and social influences. Some are very consciously pointing to the need for faith to return to main street.
For that builder, retailer, communities, or other service providers struggling to keep up with rising demand, the zombie nation’s impact on their workplace and professional lives are realities they are dealing with daily. “We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (News, analysis, and commentary.)
“Broken Hitches” – Programming Notice: Broken Hitches is a successful MH professional’s compelling look at an emerging trend. Not to be missed, later this week on Industry Voices, here at MHProNews.
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Soheyla is a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC the parent company to MHProNews and MHLivingNews.
