When a leader embraces their responsibility to care for people instead of caring for numbers, then people will follow, solve problems and see to it that the leader’s vision comes to life the right way, a stable way and not the expedient way. ~Simon Sinek

The forgotten, who are they in your organization?

Last week I had two experiences that caused me to really think about people in organizations who are forgotten. The first was when I watched a 2020 report with Diane Sawyer entitled My Reality: A Hidden America. The report focused on the working class—who they are, the challenges they face, etc. Here is one exchange Diane Sawyer had with a working class man.

Interviewee: You got to get the millionaires and billionaires in Washington to start worrying about the working class people.                                                                                           Diane Sawyer: You think they don’t know, don’t care?                                                                   Interviewee: I think they forgot.

It’s the last four words he said, “I think they forgot,” that have really stuck with me. Others interviewed shared the same view, including hourly wage employees in Silicon Valley. Contract service workers who are referred to as “people working in the shadows.” A former hi-tech employee put it this way, “The Silicon Valley elite basically doesn’t see service workers. They are just basically blind to them as a class.”

Another example in the report, a woman named Erma has cleaned offices and restrooms at VISA for 26 years. Last year she received her first Christmas bonus, a $25 VISA gift card.

It’s not just about the money. Quoting a cleaning worker at the Detroit Airport: “We go into restrooms, we clean up after people, we wipe things down, and no one even says thank you.”

My second experience was attending a play entitled Gloria. Yes, it was fiction, a dark comedy, but I couldn’t help but think about how the plot was reflective of actual events in many organizations. The play was set in the office environment of an online magazine publisher. The atmosphere in the office was depressing, no one enjoyed their work, etc. Gloria was a quiet, awkward employee, who had worked there for 15 years. Even though she had one of the longest tenures, no one really knew anything about Gloria, especially those in management positions. Remember, I said it was dark, Gloria ends up showing up with a gun and turning her workplace into a chaotic murder-suicide scene. It was clear to the co-workers who survived that Gloria was isolated, taken for granted, and forgotten.

From reality to the stage, I was reminded about the forgotten employee. Simon Sinek says it’s a leader’s responsibility to care for people. I’ll add to that statement and say it’s a leader’s responsibility to care for ALL people. Caring for them with fair and livable wages, and caring for them by simply acknowledging and appreciating their work.

Who have you forgotten?