Working remotely is great! In terms of work-life balance, evading traffic jams and actually getting things done without someone interrupting you, telecommuting can not be beat. Still, there are some things you give up: water-cooler talk, chance encounters and face-time with your clients. Sometimes it can get lonely and there is the occassional concern that your co-workers will forget about you once the weekly meeting is over. (Insert violin music and a sad puppy-dog face here.) So glad that is not my experience working at Microsoft!

Today is my birthday! (yay!)

And since I am a remote worker, far away from my staffing comrades, I did not expect anything beyond a birthday card and (maybe) a conference call sing-a-long of "Happy Birthday." Well, I got something better.

My staffing buds shipped me a "Birthday-in-a-box," to include: Cake mix, Candles, Party Favors, Decorations, a cool t-shirt and (wow!) little sausages to munch on. It was like getting a care package from home while at Summer Camp.

(Sniff-sniff) And I told myself I wouldn't cry...

I was so very touched by the gesture and was on my third piece of tissue when a thought occurred to me.

"When should recruiting stop?"

Recruiters, after a person has been hired, what does your company do to continue "recruiting" the person that was just hired? How important are team outings? Birthday Cakes? Flowers when a co-worker's family member passes? Office pranks? Free Coffee? Just because Gift Certificates? And a Friday@5 Beer Bash?

Employees, while you can certainly leave a job whenever you want to, how hard is it to break away from a supportive manager? To give less than your all when working with a close knit group? To not give your loyalty to a company who wants you to progress in your career as far as you can?

I think recruiting should never stop. New hires should feel as valued on their three thousandth day as they did on their first. Some companies give only lip service to those little things that produce intangible, but incredibly valuable returns: happy, productive and dedicated employees. Fortunately for me, Microsoft is not the type of company to ignore the people that make it great.

Staffing buds, thanks again for the card.

Jim

12:25 AM