Tweet
Several years ago, I worked in a very friendly workplace (a small hardware store) - but, we were all going through a rough time - a very heartbreaking chain of events had shaken us all up:
- a very popular and kind AM lost his battle with cancer.
- a young cashier had died in a car accident
- fires had devastated much of the area -one of our regular customers sadly perished.
We were a tight knit workplace in a tight knit community, so it was no surprise when we all attended all of the funerals (including for the regular), and lent out tools for locals to rebuild (and help when we could).
These events though, seemed to be the final straw for the manager/owner. He called us employees to a meeting and told us that in three months, he was shutting down the business - for various reasons, it was definitely a shutdown.
He then told the community.
But he had a plan...
In the final week, the boss did the following:
- made sure all of us had a job to go to.
- paid any and all relocation costs we may have had.
- gave us all a very generous bonus.
But, it was what he did for the community, which was still coming to terms to the earlier disaster and heartbreak, that really showed everyone what a dignified and generous gentleman he was.
He opened up the shop one last time, not for a day's trade - but to give away everything. He even gave away his own furniture to a struggling family. He gave everything.
The last I saw of him, was when myself and a few others farewelled him at the bus stop (he was moving in with his son and his family) - he was dressed in his finest suit, hat, holding his suitcase.
2 months later, I found out that he had passed away peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his son and his family.
Never will forget that man.
- a very popular and kind AM lost his battle with cancer.
- a young cashier had died in a car accident
- fires had devastated much of the area -one of our regular customers sadly perished.
We were a tight knit workplace in a tight knit community, so it was no surprise when we all attended all of the funerals (including for the regular), and lent out tools for locals to rebuild (and help when we could).
These events though, seemed to be the final straw for the manager/owner. He called us employees to a meeting and told us that in three months, he was shutting down the business - for various reasons, it was definitely a shutdown.
He then told the community.
But he had a plan...
In the final week, the boss did the following:
- made sure all of us had a job to go to.
- paid any and all relocation costs we may have had.
- gave us all a very generous bonus.
But, it was what he did for the community, which was still coming to terms to the earlier disaster and heartbreak, that really showed everyone what a dignified and generous gentleman he was.
He opened up the shop one last time, not for a day's trade - but to give away everything. He even gave away his own furniture to a struggling family. He gave everything.
The last I saw of him, was when myself and a few others farewelled him at the bus stop (he was moving in with his son and his family) - he was dressed in his finest suit, hat, holding his suitcase.
2 months later, I found out that he had passed away peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his son and his family.
Never will forget that man.
Comment