A true story. A health care worker is truly struggling to do her work and caring for a son who has had a crash accident. She has no other means but finding time here and there for a first stage of intense rehabilitation that entails traveling to a distant centre. It just does not work.
Before her manager becomes aware, he has a visit from some of her colleagues who handle him a list of names. All those are names of people who want to donate one day of their annual leave, their official holiday, to their colleague-mum-cum-son in serious need. In total the number of days that could be accumulated was around a third of a full year. This is the number of people who had signed the list and offered one day of their holidays.
An HR logistics nightmare, but it happens.
I don’t know you, but when I see human generosity in action, I reconcile myself with the human condition. And sometimes I need that reconciliation big time.
That collective action did not reach any front page of a newspaper. In fact many like me became aware only in the context of one of our Viral Change™ programmes where we were looking for real stories of kindness and generosity. The story is true because it was told by that receiving manager, a Viral Change™ Champion himself.
It never occurred to me that this could happen. I wonder how many other stories of solidarity may happen in our work places. Many may be invisible. At times it seems that we have reduced all to money. Putting money in an envelope, noble as it is, is actually easy. Given your name to offer a day of your holiday is less. Those having the idea of collecting and organising are real heroes.
Once again, the best possible currency we have was used: our time. The most precious and scarce one.