Christmas Eve Downside

This is the time of year that being a Manager has its biggest downside for me. I suppose a lot of people would like to have their Manager’s position. It’s a perk, right? You are the boss. It is easy to be the boss, isn't it?

My career as a Manager in various sectors, including the Military, Federal Service and private industry has proven to be years of extremely rewarding service. I can honestly say that I have never supervised or managed a poor performing group. I know that some of you are saying “yeah, right”, but this is true. Now, that’s not to say that I have not dealt with some individual behaviour issues; but not major team issues. Perhaps some of my people would have liked to have had my job. I sure hope so anyhow. Even more so, I hope that they would like to be a Manager like me.

I am human though. Often the people that know me best can see right through me on a bad day or one in which I have some inventible tough decisions to make. My people can read worry on my face just as they can when we are having a great day. Let's face it, acting like you are having a great day when, in fact, your people know that it couldn't be a good day based on perhaps a set of circumstances is just a falsehood. You never lie to your people but on the other hand, you don't wear your feelings on your shirt sleeve either.

I have had some great Managers for whom I worked. There are some that I wanted to emulate while others were such pathetic leaders they needed to go. My first couple of years with the US Postal Service was as a City Carrier. I had the greatest boss named Eddie W. and I would do anything for him. As I got to know the ins and outs of the job, I knew that Christmas was really busy and that there would be temporary workers brought in to help who were called Casuals. You could see the eagerness on the Casuals’ faces wanting so much to please. Of course, they were thinking that they had a foot in the door and perhaps the possibility of a good Postal job. But in fact, they were just temps. As Christmas Eve approached, the Casuals would leave and Eddie W. was always a little down watching them go.

After a couple of years, I became a Carrier Supervisor. My first Christmas as a Carrier Supervisor came and so did the Casuals. One of the Casuals had been obtaining temporary work for about a year. A week before Christmas I was told to release all Casual employees. I now knew why Eddie W. was a little different near Christmas time. It was one of the toughest things I ever had to do up to that point. This was not a perk for me. It was tough.

Several years after the Postal Service and now in the private sector, I always ramp up staff for Christmas time. I project sales, work load and work hours and hire what we need. Some years I have hired up to fifteen extra people. All of the people hired are told up front that the work is just temporary. However, you can see that look in their eyes. It was the same look of the Postal Casuals years ago. They seem to feel they have a foot in the door and are very eager to please thinking perhaps that there could be a chance for long-term employment. Over the next couple of months you get to know these people. You learn their stories and their need for the job. Well, Eddie W. isn't around on Christmas Eve when you begin to call these employees in one at the time and let them go. It only takes the first employee leaving my office to have a fear start spreading throughout the building. A couple of hours later, it is over. Earlier those mornings, the people that knew me could see the usual upbeat self. Later in the day, the same people could read something totally different in my face. After discharging the last temporary worker, my right hand manager will walk into my office and tell me to go home and I usually will, shortly thereafter.

This year I only hired one extra person and as previous years, I went out to the floor today and called her into my office. My long-term employees knew the sound in my voice and the look in my face even though, to a new employee, I was wearing a smile. This year was tough too. This worker has been looking for steady work for almost a year. I did the usual. I listened, I offered hope, advice, assistance and I wished her the very best of luck. I shook her hand while looking into her eyes that only an hour ago glistened with hope, but now the eyes were dampened by an impending tear. I was not this wise at age 26 as a Carrier Supervisor, but I have always shown compassion.

Do you still want to be the boss? If you do, you too may someday experience the “perk” of being a boss on Christmas Eve”.

Gods speed.