Values Campaign

It’s this thing we have here at the office. Part of their subtle indoctrination strategy or perhaps fiscal dumping – which many of you know government (lets call it Sally) tends to do around this time as the financial year draws to a close. Unspent budget reflects poorly on the minister and well, we must do everything we can to make the minister look good, and in most cases this objective is highly unachievable. So Sally has come up with this idea, the objective is to build up company morale and assist in the overall company wellness. These values supposedly underpin everything we do for Sally. Respect, Integrity, World Class Service etc etc etc.

Every month there is a mad dash trying to get the nominations in before the next staff meeting so that our E D can announce the winner in the category. In amongst everything we do now we are laboured with this. Having to think who in the company embodies that particular value for the month. I have only been with the business for 3 damn months and already I have to know who is proving the stakeholders with world class service, shows respect and integrity in their dealing with others or has passion for excellence. I suppose for a few seconds a month we have to think about our fellow work mates.

I chose Mita. Her husband passed on the last day of work, while we were feverishly sipping the doctored punch, devouring yet another chicken drum stick and meatball platter (where is the rest of the chicken!) and trying hard to contain the guffaws when ogling managers and secretaries jiving ostentatiously on the dance floor, their hips jutting disproportionately from one end to the other. All but forgotten are the epic battles, backbiting gossip mongers and petty personal detestation so prevalent throughout the year. Mita, about 60, mother of 4 grown children, in her 4 roomed house in Diepsloot. She has a short but strong frame, she never complains and hardly says no. Granted we are not asking her to produce compelling strategies aimed at influencing policy in matters related S and T but still, she has always provided us with the “framework” which enabled the efficient functioning of our day to day drudgery. Mita. She seemed hard when I tried to ask her about her husband. My grandmother had the same look until her favorite son died of full blown AIDS in the bedroom next to hers 7 years ago. That broke her. I suppose we all have our limits. Mita stood there and asked if she could relay the story in Afrikaans, my Sotho sucks so I said yes. When she was finished the kettle had boiled and I had no other reason for staying there and listening to her, my coffee was made, she had told me the important things but I stayed in the kitchen for longer than I needed to. I looked deep into her yellowing eyes and asked what she is going to do with his clothes, I offered help. I enquired as the ages of her children and established that her kids, all either still in or have graduated from varsity, were coping with the loss as well as one could expect. People survive. They get by. Mita was not yet broken by the experience.

This month’s value is respect. I wrote in my nomination form that it is neigh impossible to ascertain whether or not someone has respect for you, until they loose it – then quickly the lack of it becomes obvious, I said that I work on the premise that respect is transient and floating, it moves between people. I said that I respect Mita, just because and that is it. Out of all the folks I am sure never to loose respect for Mita is most obvious candidate. This values campaign sure is silly!

Tracey