Recently I wrote about how the workplace structure as we know it is established on the separatist model of man at work, woman at home, and shared an article about how the new workforce demands that employers allow employees to bring their "whole selves" to work. Here's an example that highlights this need for culture change in some companies.
Krista is a colleague at a client company of mine. (I write training programs for them. I wish I did HR generalist work so I could get involved in this one and try to make a positive impact on this aspect of their culture!) Anyway, after the birth of her daughter Krista requested and was granted a 3/4 time schedule. As most of you who work part-time know, her boss never adjusted her performance metrics. Her reduced schedule just means that Krista now gets to do the same amount of work in less time for 3/4 the pay. She has continued to meet and exceed all her metrics, and often works extra hours at home in the evenings and weekends in order to keep up.
Krista is an absolute STAR at her company and they are lucky to have her. She routinely gets calls from recruiters about different opportunities and she rarely investigates them because she appreciates her "part-time" schedule, and because she's a pretty steady person who doesn't like to bounce around too much.
Two weeks ago Krista was responsible for the rollout of a large program for all their field offices. This project required that she visit several locations over 7 days. She traveled, stayed in hotels, went to long meetings, and worked 16-hour days for the entire week. She never complained or reminded her boss that she was a 3/4 time employee with only 3/4 pay. She just did the work and did it fabulously. Although Field Managers complimented her often on her work, her boss (who was at several of the meetings with her) never acknowledged her effort. The day she returned from her extended business trip, she went to the office and spent 12 hours catching up on e-mail, voice mail, and other departmental concerns. She was exhausted.
The next morning as Krista was catching up on the mail at home, she discovered that her daughter had a concert at school that afternoon. Since her calendar at work was meeting-free, Krista sent an e-mail to her boss letting him know she would be leaving early to go to her daughter's school. His response? A one-line e-mail back:
Be sure you record it as half a day of vacation.
That day Krista called 2 of the recruiters who had been pestering her back and said, "I'd like to hear about this opportunity." She had two interviews within a week. She will likely land one of the positions, and will never look back. And her current company? They will never understand why she just "up and left" one day. And eventually, if they are lucky, they will figure out that they can no longer run their business in a way that doesn't allow people to bring their whole selves to work.
So what does this all mean to you?
First, it means that if you have a good boss, one who is reasonable about flexibility, one who measures your performance based on your results and not based on archaic rules about "face-time, then be sure to say thank you. We take a lot of things for granted, and good corporate leadership is one of them. National Bosses Day is Monday, October 16th - this would be a good time to say thank you!
Second, thank your HR department, and the business owners for creating a company that lets you have a great career where you can develop your skills and do good work, and also encourages you to have a life! Thanking them directly through conversation or a written note is one way. Other ways to thank your company are to do really good work and make a strong, positive contribution, or to refer friends and colleagues who are good worker to open positions so your company can keep hiring strong talent.
I'll keep you posted on how Krista's story unfolds...
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