Working How?

I write often about working efficiently. We've tried to break down our business like an assembly line. I sell, install and fabricate as neccessary. Jackie schedules, fabricates as neccessary, and manages me & the crew. We have two great people who fabricate screens on a part time basis during our busy season. I rely on a team of people to make the business run. When the system works as planned, everything is seamless. However, mistakes happen in every business environment. Operating without mistakes would mean running at 100% efficiency. Somedays, I bite down hard to not scream in annoyance at errors.

So today, I am at our shop to load up for afternoon deliveries. I noticed that a large order was completed. I pick up a piece from the order and look at the fabric used. My heart stutters a moment. It had the basic fabric. I managed to sell an upgrade in fabric for that job. The margin is comparable to the profit margin of soft drinks at a fast food restaurant. You're getting a drink. Why not make it larger for 25 cents more? Same idea for screens. The upgrade is almost pure profit.

Anyways, back to being furious. So lets say the upgrade was another hundred dollars. The wrong material was used. That's $5 lost. Then I have to pay the same person to do the job over again with the right material probably another $40 in labor and parts. But first things first. Why was the wrong fabric used? Lets go check the work order.

Ah ha! The line item for the upgrade was separated from the rest of the order. The fabricator didn't notice that line when they processed the sheet. Now my first instinct is to be petty and rail on the woman for not noticing the line item. Why didn't you read the carbon copy order from start to finish? Do we have to administer reading and comprehension tests before hiring? But that's not how you treat a human being.

Sara started working for us when the school year ended. She was the teacher's aid in Joanna's junior kindergarten class. Sara is a wonderful woman who gave Joanna attention when our little munchkin would cry about going to school. Unfortunately, it won Sara no friends among the other teachers or parents who were jealous. As work conditions worsened, her hours were reduced. And this very religious woman just accepted the challenge. She always kept a smile on her face. If you were not close to her, you'd not know there was stress.

Sara worked at the school to bring home the groceries, literally. Her husband's job in the IT field barely covers their rent and bill payments. Her income as an aid put food on the table for a family of four. When you talk to her about where they are going to eat or what they are doing over the weekend, you don't hear about any expensive trips or dining experiences. The subtext is, they just don't have that money to waste on superfluous expenses. So when I say something like my family went to my favorite dive Hawaiian BBQ joint for a $23 dinner out, I feel like an elitist pig. I just feel guilty for spending money. I have to think of ways to chit-chat, that don't revolve around spending money, in an effort of sensitivity to their very tight financial situation.

Here is where Sara shows her strength to look past the little things. She doesn't dwell on these slips. She finds a way to put a smile on her face. We talk about Dr Who, Star Trek, anything Sci Fi. Last weekend, Jackie gets a text message from Sara simply thanking us for her job. She's just so happy to be working.

So back to this incorrect fabric. I asked where's the job order for it. As I read the paper, I tell her that the order she just finished has the wrong fabric in it. She's mortified. She feels guilty if she's made a mistake. Many annoyed thoughts are flying through my head. Luckily I find the strength to say, "Oh, it's on me. I didn't highlight this line item. There's nothing anywhere else which would have been a clue. So don't worry about it Lisa. It's my fault. I should have made a note." She immediately offers to come in early to redo the order.

Then I let the petty back in, "No it's ok. I'll just call the customer and see if they will accept the order as is." I walk away, back to our storage area. I think about everything I just wrote, everything she said about coming in. I do some math. Really, we're still going to make $50 after taxes and royalties, even with the three hours of labor. I come back to the work room.

"You know what Lisa, I don't want to sound like an idiot in front of the customer. Just go ahead and redo it. The job isn't due till Tuesday. We should have time for you to come in and take care of it." And she's smiling already. I know it's a relief to her, that there is work for her to do.

I think to myself. It's really a blessing that she doesn't take work for granted. I'm lucky to have her working for us.