Some Feel Good Stories for a Crappy Monday

[BlondeSpiders]

I'm an avid reader of Ask A Manager, where many people write in to ask advice about their terrible boss or useless employee. Last week, the creator solicited reader's stories of kindness at work.


Kindness At Work



My favorite:

5. The plants



I worked at a children’s museum at the onset of the pandemic, and most of the staff were enthusiastic Plant People. The office was full of plants of all kinds, some of which were decades old. People would get attached to other people’s plants, which were usually propagated or bequeathed to the office when folks retired or resigned. Folks would leave detailed instructions for the care of their plants when going on vacation or parental leave. On March 13, 2020 we stayed late preparing all the office plants to survive the two weeks (LOL) that the museum would be closed to mitigate the spread of Covid.

Obviously we did not go back after two weeks, by which time we were scrambling 24/7 to retain members, find cash to keep folks on payroll, and pivot to virtual programming. If anyone was thinking about the plants, we weren’t talking to each other about the plants.

Unfortunately, 80% of staff were laid off at the end of the July 2020, myself included. We had to arrange a day and time with the head of facilities to get access to the museum office to pack up our desks and return work laptops, etc. I remember driving over there and being overcome with sadness at the prospect of seeing all those dead plants.

Reader, there were no dead plants. The plants were just as healthy as the day we closed! Apparently the facilities guy (let’s call him Dan) had been taking care of the plants the entire time without mentioning anything to anyone!

Dan was always grumpy and never spoke more than was absolutely necessary, but it was the kind of workplace where everyone was friendly to him even if it was never reciprocated. He’d been there 30+ years and was never engaged in the plant mania in any way, but clearly it mattered to him that the plants were a big deal to us.

I took home some of my plants that day as well as clippings from a few communal plants I was particularly fond of, and today they’re thriving in my home office several states away. I really loved that job, so it means a lot to me to have a physical reminder of that part of my life. Really grateful to Dan for making it possible.

[maudefindlay]

Love it! When our city suffered a flood years ago it flooded the hospital where I worked as an SLP before becoming a SAHM. The National Guard helped carry patients down as many as 7 flights and helped load patients on helicopters before the next helicopter swooped down. Them when the place had been evacuated they found a generator and hooked it up and saved all the saltwater fish in the two big tanks. Patients loved those fish and it meant a lot that they did that.

[followyourarrow]

FI watered the fake plant we have on the porch for the two weeks he was home. I neglected to tell him it was fake.

[rubytue]

Someone watered all our office plants March-July 2020, too. Not entirely sure who, maybe facilities, but I think I recall the lab director admitting he did it (or maybe taking credit 🙄). But still cool.

edit: I went and read those now. So many kind stories. And so much reminder that most people (and horses) are inherently good. 

[underwaterrhymes]

I love this so much.

[sugarbear1]

I love all of these, but especially the horse story.

[devonpow]

DH didn’t go into his office for over a full year after the lockdown - when he went back in finally his plants were all doing well. The custodial staff took care of everyone’s plants in a giant building for over a year