December 9th - Part 2

Wow. My work baby shower was a surprise after all! I could tell my friend put a lot of effort into organizing it the minute we walked through the door. The decorations were amazing – lots of pink everywhere and I was so surprised to see the different people who attended from across the company, not just my team. Work events like this are always awkward but people got into it and eventually started to talk and it was a really good time. I was also spoiled silly. I got a gift card to BRU for $70, another for The Children’s Place for $60, several outfits, diapers, and odds and ends off of our registry that hadn’t been purchased like swaddle blankets, a first aid kit, and toys.
I’ve also learned a valuable lesson about being a manager throughout this experience (being pregnant and working full time). It’s amazing the impact you have on people when you do the smallest of things for them. I’ve had 4 of my former staff come to me and say how grateful they were for the things I had done for them when they were pregnant. Things I hadn’t even remembered like filling out their maternity leave paperwork for them. That one is actually funny because I haven’t gotten to my own paperwork yet, I have no idea how to! Another thanked me for sending her home in a cab one day when she wasn’t feeling well. You really have an impact on people when you are in a position of authority. Thinking back these things do not stick out as special or even memorable but clearly I made a difference in their experience. It really comes down to paying attention to people when they need you. It’s so simple and very rewarding in the long run. Hearing this feedback and having former co-workers and staff come up to me to thank me and to say I’ll be missed next year felt amazing.