Saturday, March 5, 2016

Follow up: A Letter to the Boss

Dear Fresh Direct General Manager,

My faith in humanity is renewed.

When I sent my note yesterday letting you know about your exemplary employee helping my sons and me, I didn't need or necessarily expect a response. But you called me directly. You thanked me for letting you know what had happened, and you assured me you would recognize the employee directly. And, you said this: "You're a mom with two young kids, right? I'm giving you a $50 Fresh Direct gift certificate. I want you to get yourself some flowers and something nice for your kids."

Wow.

You see, I feel things have gone a bit awry lately. The news is bombarding us with images of bigotry, separation, fear, and intolerance. And perhaps because I'm exuding it myself, I feel a tension on the street. People seem suspicious, wary of each other. Weary too. People seem to have less energy to be respectful and generous. But what happened the other day when your employee helped us made me remember something. Respect and generosity often take hardly any time. And not a whole lot of extra energy. But they have the power to recharge us all in powerful and surprising ways. Because of a small moment, I am vowing to be more generous and respectful to those around me. I'm going to step out of myself a little bit and consider how I can be of greater service. Yes, it's easy to get bogged down in my own burdens. I'm pushing a stroller with two small children and a mountain of stuff! How can I stop to help anyone? People should help me. And yet. Your employee was pushing a cart with a mountain of stuff and no doubt was doing it on a deadline. But he stopped. He helped. I won't forget that.

And so did you. You stopped. You picked up the phone. You made a generous moment into a Very Big Deal. Thank you.

Anna Cockerille (and sons)

10 comments:

  1. Oh, I love this story! I am so glad you sent a note to the boss. I hope the story gets shared within the company, so the young man's coworkers also see what a ripple that caused. Yahoo for him, yippee for you, and thumbs up for acts of kindness.

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  2. Oh, I love this story! I am so glad you sent a note to the boss. I hope the story gets shared within the company, so the young man's coworkers also see what a ripple that caused. Yahoo for him, yippee for you, and thumbs up for acts of kindness.

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  3. This is a lovely story. You are so right about the news and world around us. I think the general atmosphere makes moments like this even more essential.

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  4. This is a lovely story. You are so right about the news and world around us. I think the general atmosphere makes moments like this even more essential.

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  5. This is a very big deal. In the past I have made sure to give a compliment about an employee to a manager. It's nice to see that sometimes they are taken seriously.

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  6. This is a very big deal. In the past I have made sure to give a compliment about an employee to a manager. It's nice to see that sometimes they are taken seriously.

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  7. Wow! I think the ripples will reach really far! Great story.

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  8. Out of all the negativity around us, there's always something that would bring back hope that this world is still a better place. Recognizing a simple gesture takes a long way. I have high expectations when it comes to customer service and take the time to recognize people who go above and beyond. When this happens, I do make sure that the right person is notified of this actions. Kudos to you for making the effort to honour the gestures in spite of the busyness of life.

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  9. That's a lovely ending to this story, Anna - I hope you picked out something Spring like!

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  10. I think your boys learned something too! Very inspirational. Thank you for taking the time to let the company know of this young man's act of kindness.

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