Its A Feeling (Part I)

Most everyone will agree that family comes first. We love our family members, so we care about them and do our best to be patient, kind and understanding. We’re even willing to sacrifice our own happiness for theirs. But then we leave and go to work where we spend the majority of our time with other people, some we barely know at all. Most of us spend more time with our co-workers then we do with our family members. So how are we supposed to treat them?

 

I have to say I feel blessed because the people I work with are awesome. Fortunately, as the owner of the company I recognize it so I try hard to treat them right. I’ve learned over the years that everyone matters and everyone deserves to be treated with respect. If we truly care about others, then we will take the time to stop, look and listen with our hearts. When we do, people will feel the love in our hearts, which in turn helps them feel good about themselves! That’s an easy gift to give and it doesn’t cost a dime.

 

A few weeks ago our Southern Region Sales Manager approached me and said he was concerned about the health of one of our delivery drivers. He said the employee had been losing a lot of weight recently and just didn’t look well. Although the driver told his fellow employees he was fine, our Sales Manager has a good heart and knew there must be something wrong. So he asked me to check on the driver. Keep in mind that salespeople have a difficult job. They have to put in a lot of extra hours and are constantly on the road, so for a salesperson to care about someone back in the warehouse that they rarely ever see…really touched me.

 

My wife (who oversees human resources) set up a meeting for us the next day and we instantly noticed how much weight this person had lost. He had been so worried about losing hours or possibly losing his job altogether that he had been afraid to say anything. It was an emotional meeting and when we suggested the employee take a few weeks off with full pay, he had tears in eyes and said his wife would be so thankful. She had been begging him to take time off and see a doctor for weeks. As it turns out, when he went to the doctor they discovered he has a very serious illness and will not be able to come back to work for many months. We assured him that when he does get well, he will have his old job waiting for him…and we let him know that it was one of his fellow employees that cared enough to say something in the first place.

 

This is only one example of people caring about each other. I can assure you there are many more, which has made me realize that we don’t have to be related to be “family members”.
 

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw.

"I just wanted to be sure of you ."

~ A. A. Milne  

 

LSI Employees share dinner and a laugh