One manager I worked for gave me a Christmas card. Not every year, just one out of the six I worked for him.
Another manager grabbed any gifts that arrived from vendors or businesses that we both dealt with throughout the year, not to share, but to run to his car and stuff them in the trunk.A company who boasted to it's employees that it had a profitable year (in the millions) did away with a $25 gift card it had historically given its employees. Their savings for this corporate decision was $2,500!
A Christmas party for the employees included big ticket items raffled. Most of which went to senior managers and in several cases to relatives of the senior managers. (Other employees weren't permitted to add guests or relatives to the raffle).
Yesterday, I heard that a large U.S. company required their employees to attend a Christmas function at a local restaurant. Sounds like a nice treat, but they were required to buy their own meal and contribute a gift with a minimum value of $20.
But if someone we work for doesn't appreciate us during the year then the way they act during the Christmas period should be no surprise.
I was fortunate to work for several managers who truly appreciated their employees. One would take us to breakfast at a fancy hotel after month end close. Another had back yard parties for his employees on a regular basis. These are just a couple of the many times they were considerate and took care of their employees. These are the bosses that I remember most and if either one of them had asked me to work on my day off, I would be right there helping with whatever project they were working on. What these managers promoted was team spirit and loyalty.
To all those managers who encourage and care about their employees, my hat goes off to you.
To the grinches who grab and take without even acknowledging the hard work that keeps the company going, Bah Humbug.
