Conductor: Where are you going?
High school student: Thorndale.
Conductor: Four dollars.
High school student: I forgot my pass today. [Looks frantically for money.] I only have two dollars.
Conductor: Four dollars.
High school student: I only have two dollars. [Looks some more in his backpack. Flips through his wallet.]
Conductor: Let me see your ID. Do you have your driver’s license?
High school student: I don’t have a driver’s license yet. I have my school ID.
Conductor: [Rolls her eyes.] No driver’s license? Four dollars.
Fortunately, the Rosemont stop was coming up on the R5 train out of Philadelphia. I was sitting directly behind the high school student while that exchange went on. I reached in my case and pulled out two shiny George Washington dollar coins. I tapped him on the shoulder. He was startled.
Me: Here you go.
High school student: [Stares at the coins. It takes a second to register that they're dollars.] Wow. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Me: No problem. Do you have enough?
High school student: Yes. Thank you. I had two dollars. Now I have enough.
Me: Do you need any more for when you get there?
High school student: No. No thank you. Thanks a lot.
The conductor came back right about that time.
Conductor: Four dollars.
High school student: [Hands her the dollar bills and the dollar coins. Conductor balks for a second. Rolls her eyes again.] Where are you going? Thorndale.
Two dollars changed a lot. I’m not looking for kudos for giving a high school kid two dollars. That’s not the point at all. What I was thinking about at that time was two things: 1) That kid really needed the money — he wasn’t running some scam, and 2) It’s pretty easy to do something small that makes a big difference.
Our job in HR is to help people. We need to do that and be financially responsible, sure. The high school kid needed two bucks, not 20. In fact, he was 20 dollars appreciative for two dollars. Sometimes when it comes to helping employees, it’s the little things done at the exact right moment that really matter.
What small gestures have made big impacts in your HR world?
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I totally agree. Although $2 might be small, it could lead to big things. Since I deal with nonprofits, a dollar or a penny they get is more than they got for the day.
I wouldn’t just limit to people, why not to nonprofits or charities? They need money as well. It’s great that they get big donors from foundations, but with today’s economy, that would be tough. Why not ask people who would like to give, but couldn’t, $1 to their nonprofit of choice. If they give $2, $5, or $10, that’s super.
Besides the amount of money, how about giving some time helping job seekers prepare for interviews, help on their search.
You’re right, the little things do matter and it feels good.
@Tracy Tran It is the little things, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s money; more often than not it’s just making small gestures at the right time. Thanks much!
I work as a HR Pro in a manufacturing environment. We did a recent focus group to check in with our hourly employees and see what we needed to start doing, continue doing and stop doing. The real take away? Get to know us – know who we are, know our families, know us as people. Not expensive in $$ funds – just time. Know those you work with, it’s the right thing to do.
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