Found myself in a hairy situation the other day. For those unaware, I work in retail by day. I am a technician and salesperson at a major chain of stores that feature computer, audio/video and photographic equipment. I am one of the more senior members of my department, but usually work with individuals who outrank me.
This was to have been the case last Friday, but due to a family emergency, I found myself in charge. We were short-staffed due to the absence of my fellow technician. A colleague of mine chose to leave when his shift technically ended despite this. I don't blame him, but as there was work to be done, and now money in the payroll for him to stick around, I feel it was a missed opportunity. I suspect he also feared that he would be punished for staying late by our manager.
I chose to stick around an extra hour at the end of my shift even though it meant I was working ovetime for the week, and that is normally frowned upon. I knew the only guy left at that point was new, and didn't know many of our policies and procedures. I took the time to tidy up the place and make sure he wasn't overwhelmed.
Not only was my manager not angry with me, but he thanked me for sticking around.
Life these days is so full of order and routine, and so much of it is pure bullcrap. When you get an opportunity to break that routine, take the opportunity to do something positive. If you've been wanting to make a change for the better, but normal etiquette says that it's not your call, then when normal etiquette flies out the window, go to town and do it your way. |
