I was teaching a night class at Upper Iowa University recently when a student said something that left me utterly dumbfounded.
She related how her boss said she wasn’t interested in hearing her idea to improve a procedure in their department. Why? Because she was “just a clerk.”
What? Seriously? I was amazed. I actually did a double take. Do senior leaders (this person is a vice president) actually exist whose thought processes are this backward?
This student is bright, articulate, hard-working and incredibly dedicated to the organization. Now, she is also hurt, angry, and far less willing to bring up ideas because of a stupid comment like that. Yes, stupid!
Any leader who makes a comment like this should themselves be fired for gross stupidity. As a former HR director, I realize that the “clerks” are usually the glue that holds an organization together (your experience might very well be the same). They know where everything is, who to call, and how things truly get done. Without them, the place would probably grind to a halt in very short order. From personal experience, these people saved my bacon more times than I care to admit.
Instead of making stupid comments like this vice president, you should treat these “clerks” like gold, because they are worth their weight in gold.
Not only is it a matter of simple respect, it is good business! Upon probing further, I learned that this vice president lost, or drove out, more than 50 percent of his staff in the past two years. The costs to the organization – of replacing these people, in projects delayed, in tasks not completed, or opportunities missed – are thousands of dollars.
As an employee retention speaker, author and trainer, I can tell you what happens with this type of comment: It spreads through an organization like wildfire. It becomes a mantra for all of the people, not just the clerks.
“You’re just a clerk.” You’re just a clerk.” It echoes in the halls, in the bathrooms, in the lunchroom, or anywhere people gather. It’s repeated everywhere in the organization, by the very people who are instrumental in driving the organization’s success: the “clerks.” Resentment builds. Soon, the organization is held in disdain by its very own people.
One similar comment by a key leader can have that type of impact. The fallout is that people start listening and watching for better places to work, applying for other jobs or posting their resumes on online job sites. Once these dominoes start to fall, the organization will begin to hemorrhage talent.
In the meantime, my student will do her job – and probably a bit more, because that’s the type of person she is. She’ll work on her degree, and leave as soon as the right opportunity comes along. Ultimately, she will go to an organization with a leader who appreciates her contributions and sees her as an important part of the organization’s success … because she most definitely is not “just a clerk.”
Jeff Kortes, a Franklin resident, is a nationally-known speaker, writer and consultant on employee retention and engagement.
