The glass container plant that I managed had over 1000 employees and ran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
I had been there about seven or eight months when the Christmas/New Year period approached. I thought I should find some way to say “thank you,” but it was very difficult since so many people worked on different shifts and it was a large plant covering acres of land. Fortunately, everyone had to funnel through one time clock (a practice I didn’t like … punching a time clock was demeaning … as hard as I tried I never got rid of the time clock; but, that is another subject.)
At the end of each shift, I positioned myself at the time clock and as each employee came by I shook their hand and thanked them for the job they had done for the company and for me.
I got all kinds of favorable reactions, including some women trying to kiss me. I was much younger then. I joked that my wife was very jealous and would “deck me” if I went home with lipstick on my face.
The most poignant and memorable experience was the woman who had walked all the way out to the parking lot in the ice and snow, then turned around and walked back in. She approached me and said, “I have been working here for over 25 years and no one has ever thanked me for the job I have done.” She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and said, “Thank you.”
I had been there about seven or eight months when the Christmas/New Year period approached. I thought I should find some way to say “thank you,” but it was very difficult since so many people worked on different shifts and it was a large plant covering acres of land. Fortunately, everyone had to funnel through one time clock (a practice I didn’t like … punching a time clock was demeaning … as hard as I tried I never got rid of the time clock; but, that is another subject.)
At the end of each shift, I positioned myself at the time clock and as each employee came by I shook their hand and thanked them for the job they had done for the company and for me.
I got all kinds of favorable reactions, including some women trying to kiss me. I was much younger then. I joked that my wife was very jealous and would “deck me” if I went home with lipstick on my face.
The most poignant and memorable experience was the woman who had walked all the way out to the parking lot in the ice and snow, then turned around and walked back in. She approached me and said, “I have been working here for over 25 years and no one has ever thanked me for the job I have done.” She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and said, “Thank you.”
No comments:
Post a Comment