No doubt you've spent time in the malls or online this
month in a gift buying spree. Experience has taught
me that the best part of holiday shopping is being able
to check the last item off on the list and to say, "I'm
done."
I wasn't even close to "I'm done" while shopping in
Home Depot this week. My hand was test driving a
work glove intended for a stocking stuffer for my son.
The gloves were cotton and had a rubber waterproof
palm - ideal for working in cold and wet conditions.
I tossed a pair into my shopping cart and as I reached
for another pair from the rack, another shopper began
to pull pair after pair from the display rack. He smiled
and said, "These gloves are great. I'm a contractor. I
give them to my guys to use on the job outside. They
keep hands warm and dry. You know, as a boss, it
pays to keep them happy with little things."
Later, I thought about that contractor's "random
employee kindness." A $ 4.00 pair of gloves for a
pair of cold, wet hands on a dismal day has value
a hundred times its cost. As you know so well as
one who has done plenty of outside jobs, cold hands
make for
a miserable day. This was not only a kind gesture on
the employer's part, but also a good business
philosophy.
I'll grant you that employees work for money,
and a gift
of a $4.00 pair of gloves won't
make a difference in an employee's personal
budget. But, the occasional dose of kindness and
thoughtfulness carries a value in an employee's head
that often goes unrecognized by the boss.
A dozen donuts for the coffee break or a surprise of
company hats and tee shirts leave lasting
impressions. And as more evidence, put yourself in
the mind set of the employees in the true story
following.
A restaurant owner, learning that three teenaged
employees (bus boys and kitchen helper) were off on
a weekend trip to visit a friend at college, hands over a
hundred dollar bill and says, "Have a good time guys,
and please have dinner on me."
An act of kindness not only makes your
employee's day, it might make a difference in
yours,
too.
