I have been blessed throughout my career with bosses who value their team’s work, and then I’ve had bosses who weren’t so great.
COVID-19 changed the world in many ways and showed businesses that quality work can be done remotely. Also, it has shown that working from home can cause employees to become content, unfortunately. My family owns a business so, I know the grind of improving your bottom line while maintaining your employees. It is difficult. Loyalty goes both ways, though. If you have an employee who goes above and beyond their job duties, you need to value that employee. Even if that employee does exactly what is expected of them and none extra, still value that employee. If that employee becomes content and doesn’t do what is expected of them, then you need to reevaluate his/her’s hire.
Bottom line: Employers, we have got to do better.
Gone are the days when we have many stay-at-home moms. In many markets, it takes a two-income household to raise a family, and those who are single moms are often left working multiple jobs while raising a family to make ends meet. Employees who value their job, and go above and beyond in their duties while juggling their family life need to be valued as well.
A well-known recruiter on LinkedIn shared a story of loyalty in the workplace.
Bottom line: There are still good employers out there.
What happened to me years ago will forever remain in my heart and remind me that there are still good employers in this world.
For 11 years, I worked in the radio industry, a competitive and very grinding industry. I was working in management and was looking to level up even more with a different company. I went through the interview process, and my last meeting was when I was offered the job. I was six months pregnant at the time with my firstborn. I cried and told the senior vice president of programming (the one hiring), that I was expecting. To my surprise, he did not bat an eye and was very supportive. He congratulated me and told me one of the best jobs that I will ever hold in life will be the title of a mom.
His response, “my favorite job in life is being a dad.”
During the next three years at this job, I worked long hours, brought my work home, answered calls in the middle of the night, traveled away from my family for work, worked until midnight at the radio station nights before big events, and even worked while I was in active labor in the hospital and after delivery (twice). When my family time was critical like my mother-in-law being in ICU for a week before passing away or my twins having RSV twice, my supervisor told me, “Go. We got you covered.”
Remember, that employee who values his/her job also values her family too.
