Doing good at work

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January 11, 2011

Normally, if you’re late for your flight that’s just tough – the plane leaves without you. The airline business is a tough, competitive arena and every second of delay translates into money lost.

But when the grandfather of a murdered child was late for a Southwest flight on his way to see his child taken off life support, the pilot actually held the flight for him. Read the touching story here.

My favorite part of the story is when the pilot meets the the grandfather outside the plane and says this:

“They can’t go anywhere without me and I wasn’t going anywhere without you. Now relax. We’ll get you there. And again, I’m so sorry.”

I was deeply moved by this story. Also, I was reminded of this equally touching story from a Zappos.com customer.

I’m convinced that this level of humanity and kindness is seen almost exclusively in happy workplaces. When people enjoy their work days and enjoy the company of their co-workers and bosses they are much more likely to care about other people and to take action to help them. When people hate their jobs, they mostly look out for themselves and only do what it takes to get through they day.

This is why happiness at work is good not only for the employees but also for the customers and local communities – simply because happy people help others.

Your take

What do you think? Have you ever experienced something similar as a customer? Ever done something like this on the job?

Comments

10 responses to “Doing good at work”

January 11, 2011

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[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by TeamThinkBIG, CollegeDegreeHelper, Shanon Fraser and others. Shanon Fraser said: Doing good at work via The Chief Happiness Officer – Normally, if you're late for your flight that's just … http://tinyurl.com/4ksz8zw […]
January 11, 2011

Radu

Very touching story. Yes, happiness at work is important. At one point I had 2 summer jobs. One manager was very nice and careful, the other couldn’t care less for me, not to mention some insults. This was reflected in my behavior towards their customers and the level of work I was doing…
January 12, 2011

Bay

Desmond Tutu put it well when he said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

If we all did that at work we would all be a whole lot happier, something that was more succinctly put by Marci Shimoff when she said,”What you appreciate, appreciates.”
January 12, 2011

starralex76

When people enjoy their work days and enjoy the company and bosses they are much more likely to care about other people and to take action to help them. But this is so rarely in our time
January 14, 2011

links for 2011-01-13

[…] Doing good at work […]
January 15, 2011

Guilla

Thank you so much for these stories!
I definitely would love to do those kind of attention details for a living, I would not mind at all!
January 16, 2011

Maria Payroll

Great post. Thank you for sharing the link of the story. It was very touching indeed. And I agree with your point. Workers/employees who are happy with their jobs, their work environment and the management, would be likely to provide a better service than people who are not happy with their job. Workers who feel motivated and inspired can inspire others and can make their clients happy.
January 16, 2011

San Diego Office Furniture

I think it’s more than just being happy with your specific job – it’s the whole atmosphere created from the top down. In the examples you’ve listed, the employees had to be sure that bending the rules to show a little human compassion wouldn’t cost them a job or at least a formal reprimand on their file. Employers that are known for taking the time to care for both their employees and the community at large create the type of environment where this type of good is more likely to occur.

Daisy McCarty
February 1, 2011

Payroll Software

The links to stories were really touching. People must enjoy their work and their environment and also be dedicated like the pilot in helping people out of their problems. At the end of the day, it is not about the money that gives us joy, it is the satisfaction in work that gives us more happiness.
February 18, 2011

AplusTermPaper.com

Anyhow a human compassion is ranked as a great virtue in many philosophies. It is considered in all the major religious traditions as among the greatest of virtues. I think that is very important.