Employee of the Month

Alex Metzger

Professor Nielsen

2.1.2011

Employee of the Month

            Stepping into the hustle, commotion, and utter chaos of a Saturday in Costco can really take a person by surprise. An average Saturday consists of about three hundred and fifty people coming into the store per every thirty minutes. Take an average shopping time of eighty minutes, give these people grocery lists, and free food samples, things start to get crazy. To ensure product and a smooth shopping experience, hundreds of hours of work go to keeping a store in functioning order. Even with these hours the store only succeeds as well as it does because of the hard working employees who fill every hour to its fullest potential. They prioritize, hustle, and sweat to ensure their job duties are completely fulfilled.  

            Once a month, out of three hundred and some employees, an award is given. It is nothing of large proportions, just a small four by eight plaque. It has two golden colored metal pieces screwed into it, the top plate says, “Costco Wholesale Employee of the Month Award”, the bottom has an engraving of your full name and the month received. If I could put the essence of Costco into an item, I would say this plaque is it. Getting this award says that not only did you meet the high standards and pressures Costco has to offer, but you were noticed above the rest for your hard work and effort. Getting the employee of the month award is difficult. It’s a diamond attempting to shine among other diamonds.

            To receive the highest honor at Costco for a staff level employee, the employee of the month award, you have to get noticed. As a pre-requisite you must have perfect attendance, a good attitude, and willingness to pick up the slack. You have to come to Costco ready to work, accomplishing daily tasks that are expected, along with those that aren’t. In example, the month I received my award I had three Costco members write their experiences with me, each about how I had gone out of my way to ensure their successful shopping experience. I had to restock my area along with two other persons, four nights out of the month, due to call outs. I had a good sense of urgency, working myself to a sweat almost every other day. Actions like this are what is constantly expected from you, they earn respect.

            When I received my employee of the month award in august I was happy, but it wasn’t until the events following the plaque did I realize the importance that receiving it carried. For at least a month after the award, I was getting congratulated everywhere I went at work. It was like being in high school and making a game winning touchdown. I had managers talking to me about moving departments, even the warehouse manager told me he was going to take me out to lunch. What I came to realize, Costco is a community on its own. They have their own work parties, clubs, and organized social events. They set goals constantly and continue to work together to make Costco the most successful it can be. They work hard for their company because their company works hard for them. On the outside of work the only person who congratulated me was my father. It really put to light the culture and mutual understanding Costco employee’s share.

I think there will always be those types of people who instead of finding ways to maximize their work load, will minimize their effort at work, just enough to get by. Getting the award really helped me to understand the respect earned for hustle at Costco. Those that haven’t received the award aren’t bad employees, but those who have are a guideline to what it means to be a successful Costco employee. It is the essence of the company’s culture.

            When my friends walk into my plain room and the only thing they see hanging on the wall is a small brown plaque, they laugh. They don’t understand the commitment that it takes to receive employee of the month at Costco. The values and family like characteristics being a Costco employee has. As far as I’m concerned that’s a second family portrait.