Celebrating Front Line Workers

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I was just at the Rochester, NY airport for a 6:00 a.m. flight, and if you’ve been paying attention to travel issues affecting this holiday weekend, I did have the forethought to arrive real early. By 3:45 a.m. I was through security, and at the Delta gate. The agent there started at 3:30 a.m. She carefully sanitized all of her colleagues' computers and desks. Then she managed a good morning smile, waved me over and effortlessly handled my check in. When I turned around, I realized 50 or so more people were already in line. She never blinked.

The security agent saw me limping along and kindly shuffled me through a faster line. For such an early hour, there was a lot of banter and good natured kibitzing. This is not my normal experience with the folks in security.

Most fascinating though, was sitting outside of a Dunkin’ Donuts, watching employees prepare for the 4:30 a.m. crush. The team included the full gamut, from teenagers to grandmas. Upon opening, there were at least 75 people in line, but the Dunkin’ crew was a well oiled machine. My order (coffee and avocado toast) turned out in less than five minutes. I’m not sure I could ever talk myself out of bed at 3 a.m. for any kind of job, let alone a minimum wage one. They were great.

In predictably unpredictable contrast, my flight was delayed because someone decided to paint the main runway on a major long weekend… As a result, there was only one usable airstrip for all the planes to take off. My guess is that some manager made that senseless decision, not a frontline worker. Nevertheless, some wet paint resulted in a lot of missed connections on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

I also ran into some not so friendly, and seemingly indifferent workers, however my hat humbly goes out to all those people that sweep the floors, clean the toilets, and every other possible job that keeps the world moving.

Overarching this observation is something I have experienced all my work life. and something I deeply believe in. The most important element of design into any job is to ensure people feel like they genuinely make a difference in what they do. If one feels like they are a difference maker, as a valued contributor, even the more mundane jobs are significant, and subsequently the person doing that job really matters as well.

In this blog, Garrett and I celebrate great cultures. This reminds me that any great culture is so much defined by what happens at the front line. Thank you all you wonderful front line workers.

Think Big, Start Small, Act Now,

- Lorne

One Millennial View: Already dubbed a “flightmare” travel weekend, with 15,567 flight delays, 905 canceled (and counting), when was the last time you remember flying with full confidence that you’ll arrive on time, and make your connections? This could have been a pretty negative blog, focusing on a journey that would ultimately result in five flights, thousands of miles traveling south, west, and internationally north, a 24-hour delay, an unexpected overnight stay in Las Vegas, one extra forced ticket purchase, physical removal from a full flight due to a clerical error, and a lost bag. Circumstances that would warrant full permission to vent understandable frustrations. Nevertheless, thank goodness for the frontline workers. Dunkin’ employees can control delivering the sustenance necessary to fuel passengers, a smile/calm demeanor of a TSA and ticket agent can help solve the chaos of uncertainty, and a clean terminal can ease the mind of a stuck and tired traveler. When the gigantic scope of international transportation seems to be failing, it’s the manageable community of caring, frontline workers that truly keep things flying smoothly.

- Garrett

Edited and published by Garrett Rubis.

Celebrating Front Line Workers

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