A number of years ago, my husband and I went out to dinner in a restaurant and saw a young family with a baby.
The baby had some toys in her hand and then threw them on the ground, prompting the parent to then immediately pick up the toys, followed by the baby throwing them down again, the parent picking them up…you get the idea.
At that point in our lives, we didn’t have children, and couldn’t understand why anyone would pick up the toys when they fell.“Obviously, the baby doesn’t want them or she wouldn’t throw them onto the ground.”We thought, “Why not just leave them on the ground and be done with it?”
Once we had children, we learned that the baby cries when the toys are not returned and the 2 minutes of the toys being placed back in his hands were the only 2 minutes of peace we had at the dinner table. So for some peace and quiet, we continued to pick up the toys again and again. Why did we even think we could go to a restaurant anyway?
This past year has taught us that things aren’t always as simple. I can’t tell you how many colleagues have told me, “I will never let my employees telework”.“My employees need to be in the office to be productive”, “Working from home while taking care of children, never.”, or “I would never mandate anything”.
What happens? Life and the world have thrown us a lot of twists and saying “never” has become something we should likely never say. Not to mention, what is eating in a restaurant?
Realization – never say never. Good HR policies and awesome HR people to help you create them are out there, and they can help you pick up all the toys that have fallen on the floor.
Need help drafting policies, offer letters, and an overall HR infrastructure? Why not contact The HR Team?
-Eileen
