What Autistic Kids Taught Me About Employer Appreciation
Employer appreciation has been a lot on my mind lately. Right now on my career path, I am currently finishing up on earning my Bachelor’s degree and also working part-time as a paraprofessional at an elementary school working with special needs kids with severe disabilities. My wife, who wants to be a stay at home mom, is currently working full-time as a sales rep for a promotional company. Right now she isn’t feeling appreciated and I am feeling beyond appreciated. Let’s walk through the difference between her and my job to see how we all can work better at appreciating those we work with.
Recently most of my wife’s coworkers received raises, my wife didn’t. When my wife brought up this with her manager she was told that she is already getting paid more than everyone, which isn’t the truth because others received raises putting them at the same or higher level than her. When my wife asks for more appreciation from the company she is told that maybe she should go see a therapist. Not something anyone wants to hear from an employer.
The other day I returned to work after being out for a couple of days on a short vacation. One of the kindergarten kids I work with, who doesn’t verbally communicate, came running up to me and gave me the biggest hug. He was excited to see me and even though he couldn’t tell me how he felt about my return, he showed it through his actions. He made me feel appreciated.
Last year my wife received national recognition as being a Service Superhero. This recognition shows my wife’s determination to give it her all and more. Not only does she go above and beyond, but she always looks out for the needs of others before her own needs. When her employer was notified of her award, they sent out a mass email telling her good job. She received more congrats from others outside of the company than inside.
All the kids I work with tell me exactly how they feel. If they are in a bad mood, they will let you know. If they are excited about something, they make sure you are excited about it too. They are usually more excited about things than they are mad about things. When I tell them of something awesome I was able to do they can’t stop telling others about it. Not only are they excited about their personal successes, but they also are super excited about the successes of others. They always leave you feeling like a superstar!
I was able to attend my wife’s Christmas work party. It was a pretty fun party until the owner gave a speech. I couldn’t believe what he talked about. Not once did he thank his employees for their hard work. As a company, they had improved tremendously this past year. Instead of thanking everyone for their efforts, he talked about how they are going to need to work harder this coming year. On a daily basis, my wife and other women in her office get ignored by the owner and other men in the company. If they bring up ideas they are quickly shot down, but if a guy brings up the exact same idea they are praised for their brilliance.
The kids I work with aren’t perfect. I have been kicked, hit, bit and even lost some blood because of some of them. It is a hard job and sometimes I feel like what I am teaching them is going in one ear and out the other. But then out of the blue, I see glimpses of them learning. Some of the kids who haven’t spoken a word this whole school year randomly say a word perfectly. On an average day, I usually get hugged about 20 times. These kids have the biggest hearts and they always make me feel appreciated. These kids make me want to be a better person every day.
Many of us work over some lower leveled employees. Are we showing them our appreciation? Do they feel appreciated? I challenge you all to see what more you can do for those who work for you. If you aren’t sure, ask them how they feel. If they don’t feel appreciated ask them what more you can do for them. Work with them to feel appreciated. I know when they feel appreciated, their work will improve and you will be able to achieve a lot more yourself. We can never be too grateful.
