"Every one is replaceable" - Myth or Reality?

Being one of the biggest non-believers of the saying that "every one is replaceable " i am motivated to write this article with a very ordinary case study with details, and bring to you for your consumption. There are many articles that have been written about this expression, you can search and read them as well to get a wider perspective.

Main point here is not in technical reasons, no! But rather the peculiar reasons (or facts) which each of us is created with. Every body is unique in their own way, in how they do the same thing everyday. Personally, I believe that this is the reason why many of us have had house helpers at home and when they leave, we find other helpers doing the same work even better, but we still remember the services of the previous one. The truth is that the beauty of everything that is done is not in the size of what we see after it is done, but in the details of how it was done. I will give a very real scenario, but the names of the institutions and people are not real. Then at the end of this article you will give your opinion, is it true that every one is replaceable?

The DM organization had a contract with the TX organization for office cleaning services, where TX became the service provider and DM became the customer. TX sent three (3) workers where they were required to come to DM every day to clean the entire office inside and outside. The workers were assigned to perform DM's cleaning tasks throughout the duration of the contract. The only time that change was made ?was during their annual leaves, where TX had to bring in one staff member to accommodate one going on vacation so that DM's cleaning duties would not be interrupted. At some point it was time for one of the TX service providers to go on leave, and as usual one left (lets use name CZ) and another was sent to “replace” CZ. In a normal situation, you can see the changes are not very big, because there is only one new team who comes in, the two who continue to work are very experienced in DM cleaning works have been there for more than three years. One person remained for the external cleaning while internal cleaning had the new worker (not new in working experience, but new at DM) and the other third colleague; and the cleaning of the DM premises continued as usual.

Cleaning was done every day until the leave ended , but the following things made me reflect about "every one is replaceable"; the time to clean, the way to clean, the arrangement of other events throughout the day related to hygiene and cleaning work.

Timing: Before CZ went on vacation, DM's cleaning often started before 7 am. During this period, cleaning started at exactly at 7 am. (take note here, in best practice, professional office cleaning that starts before 7 o'clock,?means that at 8 am all the cleaning is about to be completed or has already been completely done, so DM workers who come to work from 8 am can do their work without interruption. This it is based on the size of the DM's office) The way of cleaning: Here I could give many examples, but I will only give one. Most of office furniture are made of special wood that should not be placed or cleaned with water. They are to be wiped with a damp cloth and a special chemical to protect the furniture. During this period, cleaning was done, but the chemical to care for the furniture was rarely used. Most time it was either not used to some areas or not used at all. (Take note of the cleanness done but the quality reduced. If you are the table/shelf user you can hardly capture this detail in a day or weeks i.e. furniture maintenance)

Organization of events related to hygiene: These are like collecting office mugs and glasses used by guests during meetings in offices and conference rooms. Instead of being done immediately after use, they were now done right after lunch or after working hours. The situation continued like this for a month before it returned to its previous state. DM's offices were clean and TX fulfilled their responsibilities to the client. However, the truth is that the DM office saw the difference in the same service when it is done by a different person whom TX believed had replaced CZ who was on leave that time around.

For the story above technically, all work was done as required and within working hours, but you can see the differences and uniqueness of each person or people in the details. There is an author who said "the devil is in the details" meaning that it is in the details - and often the smallest details - that bring good taste or beauty to something. Thus, to my opinion, by considering only the criterion of work done and completed timely, every one is replaceable. But if we look into the details, from the above story given and other stories or scenarios of various positions and work in different companies that you can think of, you have the answer... whether it is a reality or just a myth, that everyone one is replaceable. You can give your opinion by writing your comments below along

Let's continue to impact lives positively by being authentic and using all our talents while appreciating everyone we meet along the journey.