This forum is amazing and was very helpful in leaving Mormonism. 8yrs free!

Hoping for some perspective. Please and thank you.

I’ve been at my current job for 10+ years. I feel like a paycheck is enough recognition for a job well done. Or so I thought...

I had seen others recognized in the past but at the 10yr mark there was nothing. I bought a watch to congratulate myself.

I got a small pin today in recognition of my 10 years of service.

I appreciate the gesture but feel like it’s too little, too late. Felt kind of insulted. Maybe the fact that my company is over 5 states and can only afford a small pin.

10 years is a big deal, right?

I have more than 20 years in with my current school system. They recognize some teachers and employees at certain milestones, and not others. It's hit or miss. I've never gotten any recognition for service years.

I've seldom gotten any recognition, period. Over the years, when I was in the classroom, I produced anywhere from solid to outstanding test scores -- usually outstanding. No one ever seemed to care. I had to chuckle once when I saw a younger teacher who got 100% of her students to pass the (extremely challenging) state test in math. She got a little gift bag from the principal that probably represented less than $10.

IMO this is why it pays to take your work with a grain of salt. If and when you leave your job, they will replace you without a second thought.

I can't think of anything a principal or school board could do that would be as significant or as sincere as the gratitude of those of us who had good teachers.

No teacher is ever "replaced."

My job gave out a pin every ten years.

When I retired I did get a nice watch!

Was that back when people still used watches?

Yes. Over 20 years ago!

I got my pension. They would have given me a participation trophy but they couldn't decide what to put on the plaque.

Congratulations Fred NLI. Ten years with one company is a huge success. It means you have succeeded and probably have a job for life if you choose to stay there.

I just got my twenty-year pin. It came with a certificate. But after ten years, the accomplishment is somewhat just more the same as the ten-year pin. When I left Mormonism, I had such contempt for any kind of authority that I never thought I would last for long anywhere. But when you're treated well, you can heal-up and realize that authority is something to respect when it isn't used to abuse and manipulate people. It was a tough journey for me, especially at first. But I actually got a lot of healing from the values that are taught and practiced by my employer and my co-workers and supervisors. It's amazing how many employers there are out there that care more about their people than the Mormon church cares about its members.

I think the best way to think about that pin is that it isn't supposed to have a lot of monetary value. It goes beyond money and recognizes your achievements with the company, not how much you should be paid for them. It's like if a family member sends you a birthday card instead of buying you a new car.

At my ten year mark I knew my company, its values, and what they strove for so well that I privately made myself a promise which was a gift to myself. If I ever got fired it would be either because someone made an honest mistake or was out of harmony with the company values, and that no matter what, I wouldn't be bitter if it happened, and that I would always maintain a high esteem for the company and its people even if they were to kick me out. Considering how I felt about the Mormon Church (I resigned), such a voluntary promise to myself was a miracle. I'll probably spend the rest of my career working at this same company. It won't make me wealthy. But I enjoy my work and the people.

I got a laurel, and hardy handshake.

Although I always thought it was "a hearty handshake" pronounced in that delicious American way you have ;-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2021 10:46AM by Soft Machine.

just used a palindrome password to post. kind of fun!

anyways...

thank you for the responses. A lot to think about. never did it occur to me that those at work might care about me. I have been very closed off and non-trusting to nearly everyone after leaving. I will try to view it in that perspective.

If I ever am in charge of recognition it will be the same for everyone.

Never give soy sauce to a sad man. You just don’t kikkoman when he’s down.

The "pin" is only the symbol of the recognition for length of service or job well done that companies should show the employee to mark the important milestone. Pertinent to the board the largest manufacturer of such awards is in SLC.

And doesn't it make sense that when a business is in the market for a 'Pin', that they'd buy the least expensive one available?


"Ladies and gentlemen, we present Dolph Lundgren this Ten Year Pin, in recognition of his service to the Company. It was the least expensive Pin we could find, but that in no way takes away from the gratitude we feel for his devotion to the Company! Here's to ten more years, Dolph, when we will present you with the cheapest watch we can find!"

Not true with the company I mention above. Mostly 14K, real diamonds, and quality watches. Cheap is hardly what they deal in.

Any big company and ideally all companies should publish several different documents that teach their employees and the world about their ethical values (mission statement, HR policies, etc) as relates to the company's customers and their employees. Then as dilemmas and ethical questions come up in the course of doing business or your job, you can refer to those documents to help you make decisions that are in harmony with the company's values and that are easy choices for you to make because they require you to operate ethically when at work and that require others to operate ethically with you also.

If you find a healthy company to work for, they will stress in these documents, policies and cultural beliefs that are very easy to agree with and that stress ethics toward both the company's interactions with their own employees and that teach the employees how to make ethical decisions when interacting with customers and suppliers and eachother. When working with a healthy framework like this, it's easy to make friends and feel secure in your job as long as you do your fair share of the work.

Typically, the recognition should be routine and they shouldn't wait several years to recognize your contributions. When I realized the efforts that my employer was maintaining to keep their system of ethics running smoothly and evenly, it just confirmed how bad the Mormon church really is. No where in the company documents do they claim to have authority from God, and they come a lot closer to that mark than the Mormon church does.

Milestone recognition was unimportant to me compared to me and my coworkers being treated fairly, honestly, generously and humanely every day. There were never feelings of being exploited. Financial success was shared throughout the company, not just hoarded by the owners.