Thanks, Now Get Out!

What would you expect from your manager when you're leaving a position after twenty good years on the job? Maybe a little gift? Maybe a going away party? Maybe a thank you?

Two long-time nurses recently left positions in the Saskatoon Health Region after twenty and twenty-eight years respectively. What did they get?

Upon giving notice, the first nurse heard, "That's OK, we've got people lined up to take your job." For the second nurse, the message was, "You know you aren't allowed to contract back anymore?"

Neither heard a "Thank You."
Neither heard a "We'll miss you."

Neither heard anything remotely like the public promise of the health region: "...to create a positive experience in the way we treat and care for people, in how we work and interact with each other, and in how we deliver quality service. We promise to seize every opportunity."

Values, mission statements and promises are great; they help to align and inspire people. But often they're just attempts to "fix" the workers, to get them to do something different. When the first two stated values of an organization are Respect and Compassion and you have managers treating long-term employees like this, it's just sad.

Sure, you can clarify your vision and values. Sure, you can write out a promise statement. But, sure as s$%*t, managers and leaders need to actually embrace the values, live the values, and VALUE the values, or they're not worth the webpages they're written on.