Reconciliation in a Gesture

I started my morning at work the same as I always had. I smiled and waved at all who greeted me and made my way toward the time clock to ensure that my efforts would be monetary, not voluntary. I made my way to my office and sat down at the computer to check emails, analyze sales statistics, and any other things that needed to be done before I started my pre-production routine. It was a typical day; I don't recall any emails that were unusual or profound nor did I see that the previous day contained any sales trend that was too far from the norm. As I worked, the silence and solitude resounded through each area I moved through, but I knew that would change at nine a.m. I managed a small staff of employees that would work later in the day, but my right hand man was my assistant, Matt, who was due to come in at nine. Suddenly, I heard a joyous and contagious laughter that always carried though long distances come from the front of the store and I smiled, knowing that Matt was already here. It was only eight-thirty and he was early, but that wasn't completely unusual. Matt loved people and it showed how such a large piece of his heart belonged to conversing and having a good time. He was the perfect assistant for me because he served as a foil to the introvert I have always been, and was able to provide the relational aspect of customer service that I struggled with. He and Mike, the senior manager of the store, had a lot in common and just seemed to "mesh" perfectly and it wasn't unusual for them to be visiting as they were this morning.

Then I heard another familiar voice that would set this day aside as an unusual day. I looked up and realized that Jeff, a corporate employee, was also present. Jeff went from location to location all over the state and his responsibilities were several, so he was a man that we would usually see at most three to four times a year. As many hats as he wore, the primary thing he was known for was the prevention and investigation of theft. Even though his presence would sometimes bode unwell for someone, he was a terrific person that I always enjoyed and got along well with. I made my way up to the front to greet him and shake his hand as I usually did when I saw him and as was the case nine times out of ten, he casually mentioned that his visit that day was simply routine.

I didn't chat very long as there was much work to be done so I excused myself and resumed my daily battle. I have a tendency to exhibit extreme focus, which always made me excel at what I do, but sometimes caused me to miss the obvious. The time was already fifteen after nine and my assistant, Matt, had not come to work yet. I began to feel a slight annoyance with Matt and a more than slight annoyance with Mike, since absent minded un-professionalism was, in many ways, his trademark. A thought occured to me, so I went to my computer to check on something and realized that my thought was correct. Matt had clocked in at eight-thirty. Since I had scheduled him at nine, the only possible way for him to have clocked in was if Mike, the senior manager had clocked him in. So it would seem that my assistant, who I was quite fond of, had stolen forty-five minutes of time with the help of my boss, and he did so in the presence of the man responsible for investigating theft.

What a predicament! I knew that it would have to be confronted; the only thing I needed to figure out was the appropriate level of discipline. Considering how lax the senior manager had always been, the past standard had always been a simple conversation that would technically be called a verbal warning, without the written documentation of the warning that company policy called for. At this point, I started to reconsider confronting it. After all, Matt was with Mike, the boss, and if Jeff had issue with this, he would address it, considering it was happening in front of his eyes. I remember thinking how Jeff was such a "stickler" for policy. He was as friendly and kind as one could be, but he was well known for flipping on a dime and putting on his business face and showing no mercy. I had even heard rumors of stings that he had conducted in random locations when he was hooked on a particular issue. Could this be one of Jeff's stings?

Then Matt arrived and proceeded to do his work. He was a great worker, a fantastic assistant, and brightened the mood of any work day like no other. I didn't confront him at first; I simply asked him if Jeff was still here and he responded with the answer that he had left. Great. I wanted to reach out to him in good faith and get some guidance from the man who was an expert on what constitutes theft, and a clear view of what the expectation would be from me. For a brief moment, I actually considered talking to my boss, but his past track record was an obvious one of sweeping issues under the rug and showing favoritism to certain people, one of whom was Matt.

I have always shown respect to my staff even during the hard moments. It was clear that we were about to have one as I knew that this issue would have to be confronted. So I explained to Matt my realization that he had been on the clock for nearly an hour, outside of his department, getting paid to talk. His response was that Mike had clocked him in and that he spent the whole time with him. Ultimately, the point that I had to drive home was that I am responsible for him as his direct supervisor; that he is responsible for following the policies he signed upon hire; and that not even Mike has the authority to condone theft of time, especially right in front of Jeff. He was able to accept this counsel, even when I told him that it was a verbal warning. So it would seem that the problem was solved.

Some time later, Matt came to work one day and it was clear that something was wrong. The smile, laughter, and demeanor that was his greatest strength was nowhere to be seen. After asking what was wrong, and seeing that he wouldn't speak, I knew what was wrong and was not willing to let the problem mature and progress into something that could not be fixed. My boss, Mike, had informed him that I had sent to written record of his verbal warning to the human resources department. Matt was furious because he was under the impression that what I did was not a normal protocol, and he believed that I was trying to fire him. By no means, was I looking to fire him; I simply had a job to do and failing to do it would put my own livelihood at risk. I stressed to him that this a written record of a verbal warning, not an official written disciplinary documentation. I realized that what he was expressing as anger, was actually fear, and despite my best efforts I was unable to calm that fear. Believe it or not, I'm not as naive as I may seem. He was counting on my boss, Mike, to intercept the written record as it went through the chain of command. For all our collective benefit, I didn't send it through Mike.

Matt was profoundly proficient at his role as my assistant, so despite the fact that we did not speak for the next several days, the well oiled machine to continued to function. And then, bonus day came. As the manager in charge of my department, I received a substantial bonus from time to time that was based on several factors that were all tied into financial performance for a certain period of time. That period had ended well over a month before any of these events occurred. Right before it was time for Matt to go to lunch, I walked up to him and we had the first conversation that we experienced in days. I explained to him that although the last few weeks have been tough, it doesn't invalidate the many months of the previous bonus period, and I told him as I always do at the end of a period that I would not be as successful as I have been without an assistant like you. I stretched my arm and handed him a wad of bills. Some might think that it was a peace offering but that couldn't be further from the truth. It was something that I had done on every bonus day that we had worked together and, to my best knowledge, something that none of my colleagues ever did for their assistants.

I will never forget the look on Matt's face. He might as well have fainted and fallen onto the floor. He didn't immediately reach for the money and spent several moments in absolute shock. I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive myself. I was not sure how he would react or even if the reaction I provoked would be positive as I hoped it would be. I did not want him to think that I was hoping to solve our problem with money, or that I even thought that such a thing was possible. So I remained there with my left arm extended, wondering what would come next.

"Seriously?"

I wasn't sure how to interpret that response. I was careful to weigh my next thought and word carefully, and I ultimately decided to keep it simple.

"Yes."

Matt reached for the money if my left hand and his demeanor changed. It wasn't the cheerful, smiling Matt that I had come to appreciate, but it was a clear departure from the silent, brooding assistant that I had been working with for the last several days. As he took the money and put it in his pocket, I honestly wasn't sure what to expect him to say next. He did not speak immediately, and the thought did occur to me that this could go horribly wrong.

"Thank you. This says a lot."

I nodded in acknowledgment and went about my business as he headed to lunch. It wasn't long before the tension melted away and Matt was back to his laughing, easy going self. We never spoke of any of it again, and to my best recollection, we did not ever have any problems again. Eventually, he was promoted and became my colleague instead of my subordinate. In time I realized that he was the kind of man that could not be swayed by words, even though I was as sincere as I knew how to be when I tried to assure him that his job was not in jeopardy. I don't claim that I split the bonus with him, by any means; I kept the larger portion for myself. But I don't think it was the money itself that made the difference that day. Matt was the type of man that would be convinced by action. To this day, we still get along very well, and I am reminded of the work relationship that I feared was beyond repair and the difference that was made by one simple generous act.