To 1099 Or Not
What would prompt you to go back to work for a company that just let you go?
How did I spend the one month anniversary of having my position at Xero Shoes eliminated? Working for Xero Shoes at the warehouse scratch and dent sale.
And I’ll spend the next couple weeks making sure the Xero Shoes booth at the Anya Barefoot Expo here in Denver goes smoothly.
Why?
It’s about who I am.
Who Am I?
There are a few reasons why I’m continuing to do work for Xero Shoes, and none of them involve money (although I am being paid). Rather, it ties to my joy and my character:
I was a fan of the brand before I worked there and remain one.
I like most of the people I’ve worked with over the years.
I genuinely enjoy engaging with the customer base and sharing stories about how something as simple as a shift to barefoot shoes has this compounding ripple effect that it’s not exaggerating to say it’s changed our lives.
I deeply value the co-founder of the brand. Steven Sashen believed in me in a time where I didn’t totally believe in myself. He trusted me to represent the third most important thing in his life (after his wife and his dog). I also know he didn’t have anything to do with my position being eliminated.
And if there was an opportunity to do some events that revolve around sports medicine, chiropractors, physical therapists, podiatrists, or personal trainers, I’d be all for that too, because one of the things I most enjoy is converting skeptics on the medical side to the brand, knowing that they will take their newfound wisdom to their clients, meaning more people benefit and the overall barefoot market expands.
Supporting the Dark Side
Now, is there some conflict for me? Absolutely.
On a social and political front, I’m anti-corporate and pro-worker. I realize that across the board corporations are doing whatever they can to cut W2 workers and 1099 them. Of course, that comes with less security for workers as they only work (and get paid) when the company calls on them, and it means they have to pay their own taxes. In a sense, doing 1099 work feels like I’m giving corporate permission to continue this behavior.
I also realize that, especially for the Anya Event, letting me go left the company up a proverbial creek without a paddle as I’ve been the only one managing events over the past 3 years. Bailing them out could very well be preventing them from learning a lesson that needs to be learned.
But even with those drawbacks, I’ve landed at a place where I’m willing to do work for them that feels good to me, work that feels aligned with soul.
Hopefully that puts some skin on my last couple posts (here and here).
A Second Thought
Oddly, what’s above isn’t the post I sat down to write this morning. Rather, it was intended to set the stage for a unique opportunity I’ve had the past week to hear from people across the company how they responded to my position’s elimination.
While I heard from a number of coworkers on the corporate side as word initially spread, I hadn’t engaged with any of the warehouse staff. But as I wandered through the building leading up to this weekend I bumped into a number of familiar faces who shared not only their condolences but how it impacted them personally.
It got me thinking about how what we do at work can be so much more than just the work we do. Every day is an opportunity to really see someone else, to celebrate their joys beyond the workplace and to have them be seen in their sorrows. A chance to treat people with dignity and respect, especially those who are often looked down up or taken for granted.
If we want to have a conversation about manhood, how people from work talk about us after we’re gone could be a good place to start.