We live in a time of love and affection. Yes, at least in the workplace, all experts and zeitgeist preachers confirm: the balance of power between employees and employers has changed, according to the message. Employees need to be ensnared. Otherwise they are gone. Just ask an entrepreneur you trust, such as the owner of your favorite restaurant.
There is a state of emergency in the catering trade. Waiters, cooks, bar staff, everywhere there is a lack of supplies. “You won’t get anyone there,” the restaurateurs wail. It’s even worse at the hairdresser’s. My salon is closed half the time because it lacks people – not the customers who are begging for appointments with the highest bidder, but the employees. Craftsmen, security staff at the airport, engine drivers, all have disappeared. Supposedly “retrained” during Corona. I ask myself: on what?
Those who are still there want to be constantly praised, confirmed, rewarded. Otherwise the way to the office will quickly become difficult for them. The quick-fix method à la Elon Musk (if you’re not there, you’re out!) is counterproductive. Very few like to sacrifice the home office for work, especially when it is strategically set up near the beach, for example in Costa Rica. No joke. Central America is overflowing with German long-term tenants, wanted: three rooms, sea view, fast internet. This is what travel returnees report. Let the boss see where he is.
“Appreciation” is the order of the day. And that starts with the title. That’s why the sandwich greaser at Subway isn’t called a waiter or something, but “sandwich artist”. And if not Artist, please Hero, Whisperer, Prophet, Master. The trend has left the confines of the office. Even friends withdraw offended if you don’t brush their stomachs enough. The cake, a poem. The wine, world class. And the dress – like from 1001 Nights. Hallelujah. Criticism of the children? I’ve given up, they threaten to move out. Instead, I’ve adopted a new title: I’m Chief Heart Officer, in charge of expressing my appreciation to Friends & Family. In this sense: you are adorable.
