I stopped at my bank the other morning to deposit a check and get some cash back. Simple enough. There was a large display near the entrance, and a white board behind the teller asking: “Did we go out of our way to please you?”
My first thought was, “No, unless you consider asking me how I’d like my $100 to be disbursed, not really. That’s your freaking job.” Then I thought, “Well, maybe you DID go out of your way to please me. You could just have handed me the money, but since you’re looking for recognition, you did more than you absolutely had to.” That’s actually the more disturbing explanation.
The white board keeps a score for each of the bank employees. As customers, we’re supposed to stop near the exit and – no kidding - ring a bell after our transaction, so they can scurry over to the board and add another point to their total.
I refuse to do this sort of thing. I despise those surveys you get after every hotel stay, airline flight, vehicle maintenance appointment, or use of a Web site, exhorting me to rate them as “excellent” because anything else is a “failure”. Worse still, when someone at the hotel or car dealership explains to you how important a rating of “5” means for them (personally), and won’t let you leave until they have your assurance that they can count on your rating.
Follow along below the rain-cloud of annoyance for more…
At times like this, I appreciate the discipline instilled by my Depression-era father and refugee mother, who believed that doing an excellent job was “a start”. I knew better than to expect praise even for an outstanding job. One job done, it was time to get busy on the next. Keep moving, keep working, don’t get complacent.
This unsympathetic upbringing prepared me well for working for some bosses who believed that praise was unnecessary. Their argument was that “you know when you’ve done a good job. You don’t need me to tell you.” I still craved praise, but was able to survive quite well without it for extended periods of time.
I’ve been working most of my life. I’ve been laid off twice, and remained employed through some very challenging downturns by continuously reinventing myself, building and maintaining an extensive network of colleagues and clients who value my work, and by taking on tasks that other people found too loathsome. I take nothing for granted. I harbor no illusions that I’m irreplaceable. There’s no loyalty between companies and their employees. We’re all tenants at will.
A few years ago – right before the “recession” officially began - I met a woman at a business conference who related that she had just taken a phone call from her 20-something daughter who was sobbing hysterically, telling her mother: “I did a really good job today at work and nobody even SAID anything!!!”
Professional management organizations have advised companies that, in order to retain and motivate young workers who have been raised to require constant praise, they should consider instituting an “employee of the day” award. Everyone need to get an award, a trophy, a pat on the back, a letter of commendation… just for showing up and doing what they’re paid to do. My boss used to tell us: “Here’s your bonus: you get to keep working here.”
We are entering dark (or for some, darker) days, and the fight for gainful employment of any sort, much less challenging, rewarding, or fulfilling employment in one’s chosen field, will require every bit of our intelligence, emotional resilience, and tenacity.
Once hired, expectations will be high, and rewards (if any) small or non-existent. Long hours – many of them uncompensated – may be the “new normal” as employers continue to squeeze all they can out of a shrinking pool of employees. For everyone currently in the workforce, there are plenty (here and abroad) who would gladly take their place. Those voicing their unhappiness aloud may be self-selecting for the next round of layoffs.
Companies are counting on the fact that many people are prisoners of economic circumstance. Many employees know this, and cut back their level of effort to the minimum needed to stay employed and keep their benefits. This further undermines true productivity.
We are facing an enormous “disconnect” in terms of expectation and reality. What’s at stake is not just the career hopes of individuals (although that would be bad enough). We are risking our ability as a country to compete in the global marketplace.
Customers – people and business who still have money to spend –expect more for their dollar. They’re not interested in praising the efforts of every person they encounter. They want a product or service that meets or exceeds their expectations, delivered in a timely and cost-effective manner. Sadly, we settle for less than we expect, and chalk it up as a sign of the times.
Restoring America’s competitive advantage requires a change to this stalemate in the corporate world. Employees need to feel valued, whether through compensation, access to opportunity, good working conditions, and the respect of their peers, management, and customers. Employers need to know that their people come to work each day with their best thinking, and give their best effort to the company’s mission.
I welcome your suggestions on how this can be achieved.