Plan and think of others

Here is an interesting experience that was shared with me by a senior HR person. My appreciation to Ismail:

In every company, there are always employees coming to ask their Finance Dept for the pay day and Finance’s normal response is to send an email to all the staff to tell them of the appropriate day for the salary payment. This happens every month.

After a while, we may tend to get impatient and rude with them. But we tend to forget that the employees are only asking about their money and not actually demanding for the company’s money. There is nothing wrong with that.

It’s not that the employees do not plan their budget well. I’m sure they do plan but unfortunately, unlike the payroll person, they do not know when is the best or right date for the salary payments.

Can Finance at times think differently for the people they have?  Is it so difficult or a big loss to make them aware of the salary date if you can make them happy rather than making them feel disappointed and waste their time at the ATM machine after lining up for several minutes and finding no fund in their accounts?

We just need to go to the ATM at month-end and you can count and see with your own eyes how many of them put their cards into the ATM and shake their heads. If you are one of these people, how do you feel?

Let me tell you a story.

One day, a 23-years-old boy in his dirty uniform, placed his card in the ATM machine and suddenly said loudly: “Alamak, matilah.”

He moved to the side, opened his wallet and then walked off to meet someone outside who likely was his mother. They both sat down at the corner of the building talking to each other. The mother placed both her hands on her head and looked down.

After I had settled my part, I personally went to see them and asked: “Ada masalah apa, makcik.” They did not respond and just smiled, maybe thinking that I am a stranger.

After a short conversation, the boy told me that he was expecting his salary but it was not credited yet. His mother had come all the way from Batu Pahat to Johor Bahru to meet him for a RM100 to visit his sister who was admitted to a hospital in Sungai Buloh.

I asked that makcik: “Datang dengan siapa?”

She replied, “Dengan pakcik sama anak kecik tunggu kat kedai kopi dari pagi tadi.”

Then I asked the boy and his mother: “How much do you have now?” The boy said RM4 and the mother showed her purse with RM2.

At that moment my mind was thinking about my parents. What will happen if they are my parents? The boy had just worked with a company for two months as a material handler and he was the only breadwinner in the family of five children.

I gave my RM100 and told that makcik: “This money is from God’s will. Take it and visit your daughter.” I then sent her to the bus station and bought them two tickets to KL and waited for them to go off.

When I returned home and told my children about the whole incident, they responded: “Kesiannya, kenapa tak bawa mereka datang rumah dulu?”

I told them that I never thought of it…!!!

The message here is, especially to those handling payroll, at times kids think better and care more about human needs than adults. Remember that when your employee comes to ask about the salary date, there is always someone who is in need. Don’t show your sour faces to them.

When your employees ask you for the salary date, just tell them the right thing without hiding as they just need their money. May God bless the good that you do for your people.