No Applause

No Applause

We had a going away party for one of my managers. After being together for 15 years, he decided to become a police officer. It’s a little odd since he’s in his 40’s and has a wife and young daughter, but, as a naturalized citizen with an Asian heritage, he says he wants to pay back the country that been so good to him and his family.

In the short speech he made, he thanked this country for allowing him to purchase a townhome in a good neighborhood where they don’t have to fear for their safety. He thanked the country for allowing him to provide his daughter with an excellent education and the opportunity to go to college. And, he thanked this country for allowing him and his family to enjoy all the comforts of living in a middle-class community, surrounded by good friends and neighbors. It’s something that immigrants feel, he explained, that most who are born here take for granted.

I just thought it was curious that no where in his little speech did he thank me. He didn’t thank me for making sure that he never missed a pay check, even though he knew I was missing mine. He never thanked me for borrowing money from my credit cards and the equity line of credit on my house to make sure his healthcare coverage and 401K contributions were paid. He never thanked me for allowing him to take off from work (without being penalized salary) on those afternoons he had to volunteer at his daughter’s school, or to work from home on the days his daughter was sick. He never thanked me for not laying him off, or even cutting his hours, during the slow times. He never thanked me for sponsoring his work visas and paying the legal fees that allowed him to become a naturalized citizen. And, most of all, he never thanked me for giving a chance, and subsequently a career, to someone who, at the time, only had a few months left on his student visa, was heavily in debt with student loans, had no particular professional training, was engaged to be married to someone also from Asia, and couldn’t find a job anywhere else.

Like every other business owner, I’m in my own business because I want to be, and I don’t expect applause every time I walk into the room, but sometimes an employee’s lack of recognition is so overwhelming, I truly wonder why I bother. Maybe, I should just sell the business and go work in a large corporation, or just run a business that I can operate on my own.

It’s funny. At one point, I thought this employee was so valuable that I was going to give him a small piece of the company just to lock him in. Now, I can’t wait till he turns in his keys and walks out the door forever.

I’ve read so many management books and business magazine articles over the years telling me how to motivate employees, I wonder if anyone has written any articles for employees talking about how to motivate a boss. After all, what happens to them if I decide to just sell or close the business down.

My wife tells me that they show their appreciation by the work that they do, even staying late when necessary. Maybe it’s true, but today I feel that the only reason they work is for the money, and that their loyalty is as thin as a dollar bill.

I know on Monday it will all start over again. I won’t sell the business. Everyone will be at their computers and I’ll be reviewing resumes to replace the manager that left.

I also know that there won’t be any applause when I walk into the office, but wouldn’t it be nice every now and then.

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Jack Bernstein is the author of seven books on business and president of, The Translation Station, a foreign language translation company. Send comments to him at: Jack@TheTranslationStation.com
Copyright 2008, Jack Bernstein