I Just Met Someone I Look Up to Very Much

Sadly, I know from experience that is is not uncommon these days.

We have 7,8 and 14 year old boys that will be with us for the rest of our lives, thanks to drugs.

The mother and two out of the three different fathers are in prison. The other father moved away to keep from paying any support.

Give that guy a big pat on the back for doing what's best for those kids. It is not easy to do.

If he's like us, there is no financial support available and our lives have been altered forever. Not to mention all the things the boys will miss because old people are raising them.

Give this guy all the help you can, he needs it.

In my life I have had the opportunity to work with a half dozen or so guys like that. I have admired and respected them more than they ever knew and in many ways tried to be more like them. Show up for work, do your job well, and don't complain unless its clearly justified.

Looking back I would trade a dozen of my typical coworkers for one of them or about 50 mangers for one of those guys. Sadly from what I have seen those are the ones that my typical coworkers and managers always saw as being the first person to get rid of at any cost.

Next time you see that guy let him know that there are far more people than just you that respect and admire him for his convictions.

Please add another vote of appreciation.

I too have some family members who have found themselves in the tank.

That is quite a story and gives some of us (me) hope.

Thanks for sharing that DaveB.

To sum up...
The HR department can't get of their overpaid backsides, think outside the box and offer this guy some sort of suitable flexible employment arrangement which would benefit him and the company?

And the purpose of the HR department is...?
Del

,,,,to treat people as 'something that can be used for support or help'. It's Newspeak for the Personnel department (something that existed in the days before ponsy job titles and pencil necked idiots churning out email missives).

Thanks for the encouragement to try to help this guy.

I'll talk to personnel/union to see if the company could do a day only cleaner. Although the open position allows any employee with seniority to take until filled. He already is here long enough, as a non union temp, I'm surprised the union is not crying foul.

I know one of the company V.P.s well, I'm going to go to him.

Good for you.

The guy obviously deserves help.

A person like that usually has such a dignity, that they look proud; something H.R. can't forgive... hell, skip 'em ! go straight to your friend.

Do the right thing

Looking out for him and his family, on his own......... while not expecting others to do it for him......

There was a time where this was common........ and now an inspiration.

kudo's toward him.

"this person is doing useful work for people with sufficient power to make it appropriate for you to go bother someone else"

Sounds like a good title to me right there. ;)

Signed

This man deserves your respect and many others however in 45 years of working these same types appear to be the focus of maltreatment. In one case I complimented a man in similar circumstances and he broke out in tears of joy. Apparently no one ever thought of complimenting him for his work ethic. Nice to have an associate that has some old time values as these values are fast disappearing if not already over the horizon.

I can see that happening...... I'm giving you a GA, just for bring that up.

Pity we're living in a society/world that doesn't reward people with integrity. We'll all eventually forget about this guy when we all retreat back into our comfortable lives.

God bless you.

This world needs more people like you that go out of their way to do what is right, just because it is the right thing to do.

I was not able to get him a strictly day shift, permanent position. The help is small but better than nothing.

When it comes to this guy, I agree with Phoenix911: "looking out for him and his family, on his own........while not expecting others to do it for him........; kudos toward him; I think its a pity this is no longer the norm."

People like this guy should be rewarded and seen as an asset to any company. Unions shouldn't be able to have a say in who the employer employs. It's in the employers best interests to have the best person for the job, not someone who's going to hide behind the Union and use that as an excuse to be lazy. The seniority thing doesn't gaurantee the company is getting the best person for the job.

It is exactly this type of Union mentallity that has ruined industry in the Western world. The Unions have done so much to force wages up and make people lazy that the developed countries are now too expensive to manufacture most products.

Unions should just stick to what they were originally intended to do, make sure employees rights are not abused and that they have a safe working environment to carry out the job they are paid to do.

I really must be cynical.

I believe that acknowledging this guy for what he's doing and if possible being his ally in assisting him....... but to reward him?.......

You have to remember, he is doing whats best for him, there is nothing wrong with that.

But rewarding him, for doing something he should be responsible in the first place, that takes allot away.

Its like giving a participation ribbon to everyone to make them feel good. Makes his efforts valueless..........

phoenix911: I disagree with your statement that "Its l like giving a participation ribbon....."

When I read varrus75's remarks, in the given context, I read the word "rewarded" to mean "compensated".

From what we have been told, this employee does his job better than his contemporaries and because he works harder and gives more to the company, the company should be able to recognize this person's efforts and hire him and provide the compensation that is commensurate with his contribution to the company.

Unions prevent hard work from being recognized. The union system is like giving the participation ribbon to everyone because better performance is not rewarded. The only thing that a union recognizes is the time that a union member has been paying dues. If an employee is a slacker, the union is appreciative because the company will have to hire another employee to do the work that the slacker is not doing and that means another dues paying member.

So you think I'm a cynic too. :)

...... this employee does his job better than his contemporaries and because he works harder and gives more to the company,

That I would agree with........... I looked at the initial context from the OP post with what his doing for his family....... should that not be a norm as well as being expected?

This post reminds me of a movie with Will Smith in.....

"The Pursuit of Happyness"

Good flick, and true as well....... as well as truth is in the movies now-a-days..........yep, I'm a cynic alright.

Yes - what he is doing for his family should be the norm and it should be expected, and it is not an employer's responsibility to reward someone for doing this.

What I was commenting on was the idea that the company should have the right to provide compensation to recognize and encourage hard work performed on the job. This is opposed to the notion that all employees have the same value to the company when they are hired and that their value to the company increases with time of service.

I am not suggesting that this guy should be paid more just because of his family situation. Compensation should not be based on need, but on service given to the company.

And I've found two more people to admire.

The gentleman you advocate for, and you, for your attention to your fellow man. You both have characteristics that make this planet a better place to live.