We set the scene…
One valued employee’s annual review happened to coincide with a large industry trade show and Easter weekend so she waited patiently for her supervisor to return so that she could have her review and hopefully a raise. Unbeknownst to her boss, the financial officer decided to add a minimal raise in her paycheck and let that be, no review, no mention of a raise at all, just a slight improvement in her paycheck.
The Observations…
Upon receiving her paycheck, she decided to leave the company. Her feelings were, if her employer had no more respect for her than that, she ought to find another company where her skills would be more appreciated. She cleaned out her desk, left a note for her boss and the owner and left.
All work came to a standstill, she was such a vital part of the company. No one had ever done anything this drastic before. It obviously got the attention of the owner, her boss and they were able to sort out what had happened, explained that they were not privy to what had occurred and indeed she was a valuable employee. It did take some time, however, for her to reestablish trust and for the atmosphere of stability to return to the office.
Consider a Different Scenario…
…with more communication! The employee could have had her review either scheduled or given before the trade show. The CFO could have communicated to her that a raise was coming in her paycheck and that even though that was negotiable, they wanted to make a statement that she was valuable and they did not want her to lose any financial ground just because her review might be late. This would have relieving the employee of worry or concern. Courtesy, communication, and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes are often the simplest and easiest methods.
Clues to the Potential Problem…
- Someone trying to solve a problem that was not theirs to resolve is clue number one.
- If there is no active HR person, assign someone the task of scheduling reviews in plenty of time to avoid stress.
- Whenever there is a stressful or unusually busy time or event (the trade show), things will fall through the cracks. Engage an especially organized person to make sure they do not, to the best of your abilities.
The Takeaway…
Don’t make assumptions, communication could have avoided all the office trauma and don’t forget to respect others the way you would like to be respected.