June 15, 2014
So you’re leaving? Let’s chat
By Dave Braun
LO President
A young man who worked with us all spring came up to me and said, “I’m moving on. Thanks for the opportunity. Here’s my punch card.”
He’d been a hard worker who never missed a day, was always on time, and worked well with his crew. He has a mechanical engineering degree from McMaster, and worked steady hours with us to help pay off his credit card bills. When he started, I was up-front that there was no promise of work throughout the summer, so he had been applying for positions in his field while working with us.
So there we were, across the counter from each other having an exit interview, two months after we’d met. His hands were tougher; his back was stronger, tested by those very cold, wet and windy days of April. I wanted to hear his fresh perspective on our company. I suggested we try out our new coffeemaker, so we sat down for what turned out to be a very powerful half-hour conversation.
I asked him what he thought of the work, what he thought of the people, and for any suggestions he had about how we could create a happier, safer, and more productive workplace. What followed was the most productive coffee break I’d had a long time.
I told him how much we appreciated his hard work this season, and I congratulated him on finding a promising position in his field. I shared with him that one of the best ways that we could continue to elevate our company was to listen to our people. I didn’t need to pay him a big consultant’s fee for this invaluable information, he felt valued that I would actually want to hear his opinion. I expressed that I was interested in hearing the good, the bad, and the ugly. Luckily for me, constant physical labour gives a person a lot of time to think and he was ready to share.
The first thing the engineering grad told me about his job with us was it is a very hard job. He’d had physically demanding jobs that were fast-paced and involved heavy lifting, but he’d never worked such a difficult one. He shared how much he admired the work ethic of the rest of the people on his crew.
People were generally very happy working all day at our company, he thought, and he was surprised by the friendliness of the crew. He told me about the little things that made him feel welcome. “The mechanic welcomed me to the company,” he said. “The nursery manager knew and remembered my name.” Those tiny encouragements sustained him on those bitter, wet and miserable days.
I also learned that while we do say thank you, we don’t say, “We appreciate you,” as much as we probably should. “How can we better do that?” I asked. Though our tradition of coffee and donuts on Saturday mornings was enjoyed, it would be even more meaningful to have it on horrible weather days to perk up the crew. It’s amazing how an idea for such a seemingly simple gesture is so valuable when you haven’t thought of it yourself.
As our meeting closed, the future engineer shared his final pieces of valuable information. “I can’t believe, that in 2014, we are still doing so many things manually!” As any good engineer would, while in the field, his mind had been contemplating various ways that we could automate a couple of our labour-intensive processes. If we could accomplish just a portion of his ideas, the company would certainly benefit.
The best part of my exit interview, however, was that it served as a reminder of how important these conversations can be. You can learn a latte when you allow exiting employees to espresso themselves.
LO President
A young man who worked with us all spring came up to me and said, “I’m moving on. Thanks for the opportunity. Here’s my punch card.”He’d been a hard worker who never missed a day, was always on time, and worked well with his crew. He has a mechanical engineering degree from McMaster, and worked steady hours with us to help pay off his credit card bills. When he started, I was up-front that there was no promise of work throughout the summer, so he had been applying for positions in his field while working with us.
So there we were, across the counter from each other having an exit interview, two months after we’d met. His hands were tougher; his back was stronger, tested by those very cold, wet and windy days of April. I wanted to hear his fresh perspective on our company. I suggested we try out our new coffeemaker, so we sat down for what turned out to be a very powerful half-hour conversation.
I asked him what he thought of the work, what he thought of the people, and for any suggestions he had about how we could create a happier, safer, and more productive workplace. What followed was the most productive coffee break I’d had a long time.
I told him how much we appreciated his hard work this season, and I congratulated him on finding a promising position in his field. I shared with him that one of the best ways that we could continue to elevate our company was to listen to our people. I didn’t need to pay him a big consultant’s fee for this invaluable information, he felt valued that I would actually want to hear his opinion. I expressed that I was interested in hearing the good, the bad, and the ugly. Luckily for me, constant physical labour gives a person a lot of time to think and he was ready to share.
The first thing the engineering grad told me about his job with us was it is a very hard job. He’d had physically demanding jobs that were fast-paced and involved heavy lifting, but he’d never worked such a difficult one. He shared how much he admired the work ethic of the rest of the people on his crew.
People were generally very happy working all day at our company, he thought, and he was surprised by the friendliness of the crew. He told me about the little things that made him feel welcome. “The mechanic welcomed me to the company,” he said. “The nursery manager knew and remembered my name.” Those tiny encouragements sustained him on those bitter, wet and miserable days.
I also learned that while we do say thank you, we don’t say, “We appreciate you,” as much as we probably should. “How can we better do that?” I asked. Though our tradition of coffee and donuts on Saturday mornings was enjoyed, it would be even more meaningful to have it on horrible weather days to perk up the crew. It’s amazing how an idea for such a seemingly simple gesture is so valuable when you haven’t thought of it yourself.
As our meeting closed, the future engineer shared his final pieces of valuable information. “I can’t believe, that in 2014, we are still doing so many things manually!” As any good engineer would, while in the field, his mind had been contemplating various ways that we could automate a couple of our labour-intensive processes. If we could accomplish just a portion of his ideas, the company would certainly benefit.
The best part of my exit interview, however, was that it served as a reminder of how important these conversations can be. You can learn a latte when you allow exiting employees to espresso themselves.
Dave Braun may be reached at dbraun@landscapeontario.com.