Beware...The Sign!

Earlier this week a co-worker put up this little sign.

It pretty much speaks for itself.

In the almost twenty years I've been with my employer, there were times I had access to United States federal tax information. Didn't get a brightly-colored sign, though. John is lucky.

When the sign first went up, I wondered why it was needed in the first place. I imagine many of you working for companies that handle sensitive data, you probably have to attend trainings to make sure you properly handle all that sensitive data. At my work we are required to take a bevy of trainings

every

single

year.

I'm sure my company wants their employees to be the best trained, most competent ever, but I'll bet all that training allows my work to get a deal on insurance and other protections that cost money. And, to be honest, having to endure the same trainings over and over again, year after year, is really a small price to pay for allowing me to keep my job.

So, since we all take training that basically tells us that if it's not our job or our information, butt out, do we need the sign? How effective is the bright sheet of paper with black san serif letting that's both large and larger, that's both bold and bolder anyway?

Well, if you notice, I was outside the cubicle when I snapped the picture, so I guess it works pretty good.

Training's Over...Now Time To Work

I spent the last two weeks as part of a training class at work. Even though I've worked with the same organization for almost seventeen years, I began a new assignment recently and because of that, I needed training. It's been a long time since I've been part of a training group like this.

At first, I didn't think I needed to take that much time away from my new job for training. And the biggest reason for this is because what I will be doing is related to the training, but not directly like the people in the training group. They will all be doing the exact job for which the training was designed. 

Me, not so much.

However, it only took one day for me to realize how important me being there actually was. Even though a large part of my job centers around customer service, I have not had direct access to the pubic that I served for years. For about sixteen of those seventeen years I've worked in buildings that have had no public access. In other words, I never saw the people I served. Could talk to them, could e-mail them, could send them instant messages--you bet. But see them? Nope.

The most important thing I'll take from this training is that the people in my training group will be the front line of what we do. They'll see the public and be able to look into their eyes of people in need and share a connection of one human trying to help another, and they'll do it because they truly care.

I know many, many co-workers who would never take the jobs those in my training will be doing full-time beginning next Monday. And, there's some justification for that. These jobs are not easy. But sometimes tough jobs can reward those willing and brave enough to try with the greatest of results.

So, here's to you, recent graduates of our training class! May you find great satisfaction in the work that you will do. God bless.