Kevin works in the garage where people from my office park their cars every day. I see him early in the morning when I arrive and late afternoon when I leave for the day. He is a pleasant constant in my day.
In the morning, he cleans out trash cans and sends the homeless out of the elevators from where they spent the night. In the afternoons, he cleans bird poop from the handrails and sweeps leaves from the steps so nobody will slip and fall. Most people rush past Kevin on their way in to work or on their way home without giving him a nod or second thought. But it doesn’t change who he is or what his purpose is.
If you work for an employer who shows appreciation in ways other than a paycheck, then you are truly fortunate. As a 25+ year human resource professional, I can tell you the art of gratitude is often lost in the workplace. Do you volunteer with a civic group, church or other non-profit? If so, your chances of being thanked for your service are better than they would be if you were a paid staff member at the same organization. Why is this? I don’t know, but I have seen and experienced it over and over again.
I had a supervisor once ask me if he needed to send me flowers or do something else to make me feel warm and fuzzy about a huge project I had completed. He thought he was being funny. I thought he could just say, “Great job, I appreciate your hard work”. As it turns out, he sent me flowers rather than say those seven little words. And, yes, he charged the flowers to our employer and, as the HR Director, I had to approve the “gift for employee” invoice that arrived from the florist the next week. What is wrong with this picture?
At the end of the day, we all make choices about where and how we spend our time and use the talents that God has given us. Be choosey, if you can afford to. Make the decision to work for, and serve with, people who are respectful and appreciative. If you are in a job that doesn’t do either of these, then do your best until the next door opens for you. Let’s face it, our value doesn’t come from our fellow man anyway. Our Heavenly Father sees you when nobody else does. I believe he honors your effort to do the best you can, no matter where you are. Yes. people overlook Kevin. But he doesn’t need thanks or acknowledgement to make a difference in his part of the world. We should all be more like Kevin.