For the last week and a half I have been working at a wood components manufacturing shop where my big brother Jason is the plant manager. They needed some extra help this month in getting out some big orders. In just a week and a half, I have learned a lot about the world of manual labor and about myself. Let me tell you, not only am I impressed with who I am and what I can do, I'm also very impressed with the company itself.
First, let's talk about me, because really, is there anything else better to talk about?! Okay - don't answer that.
The things I've learned about myself:
1. I LIKE MANUAL LABOR. I have always been a behind the desk girl. I enjoy researching and computer work, but since working at the shop, I have also realized how much I like manual labor. The thrill of setting goals and seeing the work completed by my own hands and shipped out. The sound of the machines and the people, working together. I actually enjoy getting dirty and smelly. I have blood blisters, sore muscles, aching joints, cuts, nicks, bruises, and two stained fingers, but I LOVE IT.
2. I ENJOY SEEING THE END RESULT. In the office, there are slow days and days when you wonder, what did I do all day? There's no pile of completed work, no list of jobs to check off as done. Mostly, everything done in offices today involve electronic documents and unless there's a pile of mail to be sent out, it's hard to have the sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. In manufacturing, I have quotas. I have piles of completed work. I have goals I can try to achieve, (most of them unrealistic), but it still gives me something to work towards. I see the items I'm finishing add up and I can look back at the end of the day and be proud of what I accomplished. When I see a pallet full of things I've worked on get wrapped up and ready for shipping, I know that I had a hand in that. I can walk into that store or restaurant and say, I did these, with pride.
3. I CAN HELP MAKE QUALITY PRODUCTS. I'm not doing these projects from start to finish. The things I've been working on come to me with a few final small steps to do. So I don't want to sound like I've cut the wood, glued, pasted, sanded, stained, and finished an entire project. I am a very small part of the whole picture, but being at the end of the assembly line of workers, I get to see the perfection of what we are turning out. I get to make sure everything is as perfect as humanly possible before it gets stacked on the pallet for shipping. And I take pride in knowing the quality is where it should be.
4. I CAN SET AN EXAMPLE. Although my kids don't see what I'm doing all day, they can sense the fact that I feel good about my work. That I'm putting in an honest days work for a third of what I used to make, but can know I've made a difference 10 times more than I ever did in other jobs. I like to feel like I'm a part of a team, to encourage others to do their best. In manual labor, I can set the example by making sure each piece I touch, although tedious, isn't just the same ol' thing. Each piece should be treated like it's the first time I'm doing it without getting lazy. That's enjoyable, to make sure the quality stays the same throughout the entire project.
The things I've learned about myself are nothing compared to the example this company sets for its employees. I have been so impressed with the way things are run at the shop. Let me first say, the employee handbook is the STRICTEST handbook I have ever seen; quality control, time-off, employee relations (not dating, just how you treat each other), safety, and general guidelines. This company doesn't play around when it comes to laying the ground rules. If I had read the handbook BEFORE I started working there, I would have thought - Wow...I don't think I can live up to the standards! But, unlike most other places I have worked, the management team here makes you WANT to live up to the standards. They make me want to do better every day I am there.
When mistakes are made, the management doesn't get upset. Here's what happens. Its ingenious and something other business' should try to implement. Ready for it? They come to the rescue. They walk over, brainstorm on how to fix it, and help get it done! Woah! Who would have thought management might ACTUALLY be available when they are needed?! The concept BLOWS. MY. MIND. My supervisor, Rob, is incredible. He knows the tricks of the trade like the back of his hand. He's quick to come up with solutions on fixing things and yet really laid back. Great combination for management, on point when needed, but doesn't sweat the small stuff. And ALWAYS willing to help no matter how busy he might be.
Not only is the management highly visible on the floor, not only supervising the process, answering questions, giving tips to do it faster and better, but...wait for it...the OWNER is also visible! He's not holed up in some corner office with plants and a wall of windows, but he actually walks through the sawdust covered shop and says hello to everyone EVERY DAY. A visible presence is a morale booster. And here's something else...you know the dread you get when management or the owner walks through? NON-existent here.
My temporary co-workers are amazing too. They brought me in like I was family. Never mind that my brother is management - that connection might as well not even be on the table. Maybe its my good looks or friendly demeanor, ::WINK WINK:: or maybe its just the world of manual labor. I was instantly family, brought in on all the jokes and made to feel important by teaching me what I needed to know. I will miss every single person I work with when this job is completed.
The teamwork in this shop is incredible. Everyone jumps to help each other and works hard. It takes everyone to see the job from start to finish and the respect for each person's job along the way is refreshing to see.
I would love to work for this company on a permanent level, but being a mom with unexpected demands to leave work for sick kids doesn't really fit in with the employee guidelines for time off. I would use up all the vacation time within a month and a half! But I will enjoy the month of December, the friendships made, and the new skills learned while I have it. There have been days I have forgotten I was actually getting paid to be there! Only a great business can do that.
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