"Even a Penny will Help"

Charities have realized the fact that people are more willing to donate when they are told “even a penny will help”. Spending some time in corporate world, I feel that this approach could be used in the workplace also.

It so happens at times that someone is reluctant to join a project or when you enter a senior person’s cabin you find them using this approach so conveniently.
“Just one hour of your time will help.” Once they agree they are more inclined to spend more time and find themselves totally engrossed in the project. The one hour gets converted into one day, week or month.

This is not the only case. Even in team meetings. Just an example;

Y: Boss, this work cannot be completed by next week. I need someone’s support
Boss: Sure X will help you out with it.
X please help Y with work.
X: (thinking how much he/she hates the statement “Boss is always right”). But boss I
have other tasks at hand and…(interrupted in between)
Boss: Do not give it your entire day but just spend sometime on this task.
X: Ok Boss!!
(Let me not go ahead with the conversation in the next week’s meeting. It was just one of the scenarios of any workplace.)

Initially when I was new to office and I received a mail of FYI, I asked my colleague what is the full form of FYI. He giggled and said “ignore”
Sooner I realized that these mails have this trickle down affect from the top management to people at lowest level. Every senior gets this sadistic pleasure in forwarding these mails to his/her junior.

It’s just this approach, so imbibed within each workplace that I feel if they would not have been there then there is no point of a cafeteria, smoking zones etc.

There can be no conclusion to this blog as even I believe that “BOSS IS ALWAYS RIGHT”

PS: Boss or Ex-Boss- this is nothing against you, I am sure you r a victim of this approach too!!