Send in the clowns

You won't believe this one. Well, those of you as cynical as I can be might actually expect it. Those of us who live or work in high tech regions are aware of the hours that employees work. This is especially true before big events like new product launches or website launches after significant revisions. Some companies, and not always the big ones, have big celebrations or offer dinner vouchers for employees to take their significant others out for a nice dinner to make up for the personal and family time lost. Regardless of the remedy selected, the signal to the employee is that she or he is valued; and that merely paying for the hours, even with overtime differentials, is not quite enough. Although the reward chosen does not usually come close to rewarding the employee on an equity basis for his or her contribution, it is important for maintaining morale and dispelling cynicism. Consequently, this reward needs to meet at least two criteria: it must be of value to the employee and must be seen as a significant symbol of the employer's gratitude. The balance between value to the employee and the symbolism can fluctuate based on conditions. If a company is in dire straits, the symbolism of even the smallest gift might be enough to offset a low value to the employee - "it's the thought that counts." If, on the other hand, the company is doing well, the symbolic value of the gift seems to be more related to its value to the employee. Sometimes a small token can create cynicism and a sense of not being valued. If the symbolic value of the gift fails to resonate with the employee as commensurate with the amount of sacrifice that was made, the company would probably have been better off giving no gift at all. Many years ago, I had a small custom clothing business. Very early on I decided that I would give my customers their choice of a new neck tie with each new suit they bought from me. I purchased an array of ties and had them on hand. I thought I was doing great with that idea! One day, one of my customers, a CEO of a local company, commented that the quality of my ties did not reflect that quality of my suits. He said that it signaled to him that I didn't know the value of my product or that I didn't really value him as a client. He told me that neither of them was good for business. I may have violated that from time to time since then, but I have never forgotten it. So, back to the unbelievable stimulus for today's thoughts. A friend was telling me about how her company did these thoughtful things on a reqular basis. While at such an event, another employee related that in her last job, everyone had worked 7 days a week for months and the company did nothing. Not only that, one of the company leaders said that they were feeling badly that they hadn't done anything. He said that they were thinking of bringing in a clown. A clown! After months of 80-hour weeks - a clown. What would that symbolize to you? Unless some aspect of clowning was part of your company culture, where is the value? We can use this same process in our personal lives everyday. We have numerous opportunities to give others things of high value or symbolism as part of our relationship with them. The concept of "quality time," is a perfect example. What might you do today? Have a nice day.