Everything I learned about treating staff I learned from A Christmas Carol.
The Ghost of Christmas Past and Scrooge revisit a happy Christmas party at Fezziwig’s and have this exchange about the merriment:
“A small matter,” said the Ghost, “to make these silly folks so full of gratitude…He has spent but a few pounds of your mortal money: three or four, perhaps. Is that so much that he deserves this praise?”
“It isn’t that,” said Scrooge, heated by the remark, “He has the power to render us happy or unhappy, to make our service light or burdensome, a pleasure or a toil. Say that his power lies in words and looks, in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count ’em up: what then? The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.”
For whatever reason, I have never forgotten this lesson. (Although I confess to having learned it from Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol.) The amount of good cheer, attention, and generosity expended on the people you work with is rewarded many-fold.
My dream was to create a space that I would enjoy every day and hope others would thrive. As AURAS became a company with an expanding number of employees, keeping them happy and productive was always important. And, when we had the chance to build our own studio space, that meant building a comfortable and spacious environment. At Kalorama, large window bays brought bright light into the space; a full kitchen made it easy to stock food and drinks that everyone liked, a deck off the back was a place to get some outdoor away space (and let the smokers have a place to go.)
A comfortable environment extends to the furniture, the equipment, even the atmosphere. We insisted on proper ventilation, quiet HVAC systems, and adjustable zones in the spaces we have designed.
Music has always been an essential part of the workplace. I have always discouraged headphones and prefer piped music throughout the space, so everyone listens to the same thing. The solution to varied tastes has always been the “nope” rule—anyone who doesn’t like a song or a set can simply “nope” it.
Are these perquisites? Only if you count caring about how people feel about their workspace, in the same way AURAS supplies parking, health care, unlimited sick leave, maternity leave, and flexible schedules to those who want it.
There are three kinds of perks—the benefits that come with the job, the extras that make working in the studio fun, and the feeling of generosity that comes from unexpected niceties, “in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count ’em up.”
Simple things like stopping on the way to work for a dozen doughnuts or a loaf of fresh rye bread from the long-closed Posin’s, having a spontaneous “AURAS lunch” for no particular reason, or taking an occasional group “mental health day.” Small businesses can do these perks, and it is up to the owner to set the tone.
Since I lived a block away when we worked on Kalorama Road, on snowy days, I made it a point to come in early and prepare a big pot of chicken vegetable soup. When the staff who braved the snowstorm would arrive, they were treated to the comforting aroma of a homemade meal. At lunchtime, we all took a break and enjoyed the soup as the snow fell outside. Later, in the Silver Spring studio, we started a tradition of birthday lunches that included a “birthday box” of elaborately wrapped presents the celebrant could choose from. Yes, these are simple things, but it has been a point of pride that many ex-employees remember these small gifts with fondness.
Treating everyone with respect and allowing them to take responsibility for being professionals at work—this Is the best perk I can give. The people who have stayed the longest all happen to be the ones that have required the slightest supervision and produced the most consistent quality work.
And that is the biggest perk ever given to me.
