When he saw one of his employees, who is a mom, crying and worried because of her sick kid; this CEO sent her back home and shared a beautiful message with the world.
Being a working parent is not easy. From taking care of kids to making sure work commitments are delivered on time, the working parents juggle with multiple things at the same time.
While many organizations let their employees take sick leaves when they are unwell, not many organizations recognize the dire need of parents to take days off when their child is unwell and need them to be at home.
Hence, the response of this boss towards one of his employees who is also a mother is winning hearts online.
Recently, Bernie Reifkind, CEO of a recruiting company took to social media to share the incident when one of his employees was attending work despite being tensed about the health of her child.
While sharing how Bernie saw this mom sitting at the desk crying because her child was sick, he mentioned:
“Silently she was sobbing at her desk, early at about 7:45 AM. I asked her if everything was OK? She told me that her child was sick and that she had been up all night. Bags under her eyes.
I asked her “So, what are you doing here at the office?” She said that she had run out of “sick days” and could not afford to miss another day.
I sent her home and promised that she would get paid. In addition, I wrote her a check on the spot for extra money to alleviate her immediate financial worry. She was incredibly grateful. To this day, she is my best employee not just because of her talent but her loyalty.
Not many bosses understand how their employees are struggling hard to deliver best at the work. At the end of his post, Bernie made a plea to other bosses around the world. He wrote:
“Employers, please understand that most people are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Burning the candle at both ends. Trying to make ends meet. Kids, homework, spouses, significant others, elder parents, mortgage payments, auto repairs, etc. The relentlessness of life.
People are worried about their jobs. PLEASE reassure your hard working employees that their jobs are secure, whenever possible. PLEASE reassure your hard working employees that their jobs are secure, whenever possible. Loyalty goes both ways.”
In today’s competitive world, where organizations have forgotten that their employees have lives, Bernie’s response was unexpected and admirable at the same time. No wonder there are so many people who were impressed by his heart-touching gesture.
At IFORHER, we applaud Bernie’s response to comfort this mother and hope other managers will seek inspiration from his kind, generous and empowering act.
