When’s the last time you wrote a letter to your auto repair shop praising the good work done by one of their mechanics on your car?

GIVING A COMPLIMENT TO A WORKER
IS SOMETIMES THE BEST GIFT OF ALL

Too often ‘a job well done’
gets  taken  for  granted

CALL UP THE PERSON’S BOSS
 
By David Maril
 
As we head toward the New Year and have finished off the holiday shopping season, many of us are weary from making deci- sions about what to buy for gifts. You wanted to surprise members of the family but on the other hand it’s disappointing if the gift is something not needed or wanted.

The high number of returned gifts is probably responsible for the increase in shoppers who settle for merchandise certificates that can be used for whatever the person receiving the present wants.

Then there are the decisions about gifts for people who perform services. If the person who delivers your newspaper in all kinds of weather gets the paper in the vicinity of your front door every day and hasn’t thrown it on the roof or broken a window, some type of holiday bonus is due.

But how much?

What about your mailman or mailwoman, providing postal delivery in rain, sleet and snow? But what if you have several people who deliver your mail instead of one individual?

How many others who perform work for you deserve some type of reward?

I believe that lost in all these monetary deliberations is the importance of simple recognition and appreciation for extra effort and quality work. This doesn’t necessarily mean money. Too often  we take the easy, impersonal way out, simply writing a check and mailing it off to someone.

Here’s a different option  to consider:

TAKE TIME TO CALL UP THE PERSON’S BOSS

If someone has done a good job for you, take some time and call up the person’s boss, or send an email and tell that person you appreciate the quality work that was completed. Better yet, write a letter.

We are all quick to call in complaints or email messages of criticism when shoddy work is performed. When we have a gripe, it doesn’t take much motivation to contact a business and express displea- sure. I’m never one to be shy about issuing complaints over a job poorly done.

But what about a job that is done well?

Some will say that’s what we are paying for. But, you know, you don’t always get what you’ve paid for. There is a lot of mediocre work being done by people going through the motions who don’t care. When you do encounter a person who is conscientious and takes the extra effort to provide a quality service, show your appreciation and make sure recognition is received.

Here are a couple of examples.

For many years I’ve been dealing with one mechanic for servicing my 1996 Jeep Cherokee, which has now logged 360,000 miles. One year, after a series of difficult and complex repairs were completed efficiently and at a fair price, I decided to write the owner of the dealership a letter, praising the mechanic and the work he had been doing for nearly a decade.

THE OWNER READ THE LETTER TO THE MECHANIC

The owner was impressed enough to call the mechanic in and read the letter to him. The mechanic felt good about receiving recognition for his work from his boss and was gratified a customer appreciated the job he was doing.

Ten years later, the mechanic is still taking care of my Jeep and has been promoted to service foreman of a bigger dealership garage. It’s pretty obvious there were plenty of other satisfied customers out there and his quality work is recognized.

Going out of your way to praise a person for work makes an impression. Owners and management people are not used to hearing positive feedback.

A few years ago, I had a chimney repaired and cleaned and was impressed enough with the meticulous care the technician took, to call the company and praise the way the job was done.

When I began the phone conversation I could tell the company representative was expecting a complaint and gearing up to go on the defensive. I heard a sigh of surprise and relief when she realized I was calling to praise the technician and not blast him.

“Oh, I’ll tell him about your call and I will also make sure the owner hears about this,” she said. “We really appreciate your comments.”

WHAT A VALUABLE EMPLOYEE HE WAS

One year when I was working the nightshift on a newspaper job, I’d often get food to go at one particular takeout restaurant. It didn’t take long to notice that when one of the managers was on duty, coordinating the staff at the counter, service was quick, organized and efficient no matter how crowded the customer lines were. Any day he was off, chaos set in, even if the place was empty.

I tracked down the guy’s name, found who to call in the company’s management chain, and told them what a valuable employee he was. They informed me that my call of praise automatically made him a candidate for the next Employee of the Month award.

I never did find out whether he did in fact win the prize but at least I knew he was getting some positive recognition.

Praising good, conscientious work is so easy to do but something we seldom think of. But why not, in the midst of this holiday season, make a list of the people who have done exemplary work for you and call their companies to spread the word to their bosses that you appreciate what they do?

In fact, here’s an even better idea:

Next year don’t limit this practice to the holiday season. Why not take the time to offer praise and recognition whenever it is merited?
 
davidmaril@hermanmaril.com
 
“Inside Pitch” is a weekly opinion column written for Voice of Baltimore by David Maril.

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