Being a good mom and being a good employee out in the work force can be a pretty rough thing. Something usually has to give, and it sometimes does.
Bernie Reifkind is the CEO for a recruiting company called Premiere Search. Early one morning, he spotted a female employee crying at her desk. She looked exhausted, like she hadn’t had any sleep. But it was more than that.
He sat down beside her and asked her what was wrong. So she told him that her daughter was at home sick, and she had to come to work because she was all out of sick days, and there was no way she could afford losing her job. She was really sad that she couldn’t be home taking care of her child.
So what could he do to help her? He was the boss, after all. Says Bernie in a post about the incident: “I sent her home and promised that she would get paid. In addition, I wrote her a check on the spot for extra money to alleviate her immediate financial worry. She was incredibly grateful. To this day, she is my best employee, not just because of her talent but her loyalty.”
What Bernie did for this one woman is something that has been echoed by employees for quite some time… that if you treat employees right, they are very likely to be much better employees. But unlike many other employers, Bernie knew this. However, it wasn’t just to potentially benefit him. He really cared about the woman and her situation. And he urged other companies to show compassion to their workers.
Says Bernie: “Employers, please understand that most people are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. Burning the candle at both ends. Trying to make ends meet. Kids, homework, spouses, significant others, elder parents, mortgage payments, auto repairs, etc. The relentlessness of life. People are worried about their jobs. PLEASE reassure your hard-working employees that their jobs are secure, whenever possible. Loyalty goes both ways.”
Bernie’s sincerity certainly came shining through, and many of those who read his post were extremely happy that he could share such thoughts. If you have a job, maybe it would be a good idea to share Bernie’s post… with your boss.
