Why Your Hourly Employees Can Make or Break You

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The reason those who work front lines and make less-than-ideal wages ought to go the extra mile is because they care about their jobs and do what they are paid whatever wage to do.
I think most of us have worked retail at some point. Long hours, people trying to get the most product for the least money, compounded by the season or however many people there are in the store that day. If you want to be at all successful and make a decent commission on top of your wage, you put on a smile and helpful attitude knowing without those customers you don't have a job.
We make our buying decisions based on how we're treated. Would I go back to a rental place that left me stranded in a parking deck for whatever reason? Of course not. Would I go back in a store with employees who acted as though I was interrupting their time by asking them to do the job for which they're being paid (out of the proceeds of my own purchase)? Of course not.
The reason you care, even when it seems like you shouldn't care, is because you want someone to have a good day. You want them to be pleased with their purchase/experience/etc. and tell their friends. Word of mouth brings more business. If Suzanne shared the name of this rental care company with her friends, and in the future they decide to go elsewhere with their business, that company has lost even more money. More than that, it loses its reputation as a good entity with which to conduct business.
Quite frankly I'm shocked by the people who seem to think it's okay to not care, or immediately start taking the position that the rental car person had worked late, or some other way of justifying the acceptableness of the bad attitude. When you work the late shift, you take the risk of being later than expected. You always run that risk. Personally I'd rather stay a little late and perhaps have a letter in my boss' inbox about a customer who got fabulous service even though it was way after hours, it was a hassle for me, etc.
The truly successful people in life are the ones who care at whatever level of an organization they find themselves. They'll find organizations that share their beliefs, and that is when they shine.

Kelly O of AL 7:40PM September 16, 2008

I think this argument should be about "Front-line Wages". With everyone being ridiculously underpaid these days, who can blame them for being ridiculously careless? We are humans, and our number one need is to be appreciated and valued. I am a business graduate from a top tier school currently making $8 an hour. Why should I go the extra mile when nobody cares about me anyway...and I barely have enough to take care of myself.

Gina of FL 1:37PM September 16, 2008

Um, Really, did you not read the article that stated that Suzanne could not leave the garage without the paperwork. Many car rental places at airports require certain paperwork to be able to leave the garage. Maybe, the car rental employee did work late, that doesn't mean s/he gets a free pass on doing his/her job.

john of UT 8:09PM September 14, 2008

Mr. Williams,
Fortunately for Suzanne, she was able to find another company whose employees didn't act as if they didn't give a damn. I'm thinking by your comments that maybe you're satisfied with that attitude. Many of us expect competitive prices and good service. The companies who get that will flourish. Your company would probably do well to review your performance.
As to the person lamenting "at will" employment - I'm hoping you start a business some day which has employees. You sound like you're entrenched in entitlement mentality. And you're exactly the reason I will never hire anyone. HR departments exist because of you. With true "at will" employment HR departments would probably be much less necessary and much smaller. Further, with true "at-will" employment there would be much less outsourcing. We don't actually have "at-will" employment anywhere in the U.S., as any disgruntled employee can sue for wrongful termination. It's ridiculous how difficult it is to terminate an employee without getting sued. This is what hurts employees in the long run, not Ronald Reagan.

Dave of CA 5:37PM September 12, 2008

I went to Europe and it was completely different. No one smiled or was helpful and I didn't care. My tour operator was equally rude and obnoxious, but we had a heck of a time (even w/ the tour operator).
Here in the states it's different. Did you really care if the people behind you wanted to die, you're strapped in right? You're at a carnival, or maybe it was shoe carnival and they should have acted with more respect for thier lives. Have you ever lived in a city? People do that and wear that and act like that at carnivals. As far as the Carnie; He was doing his job; so do we pay him more because he can kick people out with a smile?
There is no excuse for bad customer service, I know this, I manage a large car rental company in Jax,Fl. When you say "the last flight of the night", I am sure you mean, your flight was overly late and this person stayed and waited for you for hours(I know this because the rental agent left right after your car was rented and I WORK FOR A RENTAL CAR COMPANY). Then you arrived expecting a smile and a car with low miles and got someone tired and ready to leave and a car without a contract. Are we not human, did this ruin your day? I wonder who you took it out on.
The point I am trying to make is that customer service is relative. Customers are not always right and there is always two sides. Customers never give the other side and as a manager, I'm not even supposed to take the other side into account but I refuse to be like that. You got your car and she served you, you just didn't recieve a contract or a smile. Do you deserve monetary reward for nothing? Should we feel sorry for you that you didn't have a contract but recieved a car? Who cares? A lot of people would have "kept it moving" and if something did happen, then complain, but I'm sure you went "lady in the window"" and called and complained and then wrote this silly comparison article. I wonder what your e-mail to the rental company looked like. I am sure you said more about the company/car/agent stinking than you did about you being late.

Mr. Williams of FL 5:05PM September 12, 2008

Suzanne, it's you that doesnt matter. You're HR, which means you dont add anything to any business. Spare us your conjecture and personal life rant. Its not surprising that an HR person has little clue of reality. That rental car company was probably a low cost provider - because you're cheap and most customers are as well. People dont pay for customer service, they pay on price.
As far as the absurd 1st commentary who thinks its a company's obligation to retain the employment of anyone they hire regardless of financial reality, move to China or Cuba. Unions and their absurd demands accelerated the movement of jobs overseas more than anything else. I can't wait till boeings are made in China because machinists who already make on avg 75k a year (vs a 30-35k natl avg) want even more. You're the sheep.

bob73 of OH 9:20AM September 12, 2008

Suzanne, if hourly people "mattered", we would not be moving as many of their positions as possible to India and China. We also would not have tolerated "employment at will" (the "any reason or no reason" insult everybody signs in the paperwork as though we were sheep.)
I know you "want" little people to matter. I know you can tell some stories. In the big scheme, though, your argument lost 25 years ago------yes, Reagan and PATCO.

of 12:22PM September 11, 2008