Reverse Mentoring

#e-commerce platforms have been around for over 15 years. However, our adoption magnified during last couple of years. Attribute it to the pandemic or the speed & ease at which we are served. 

My family and I are no different. 

I cannot forget the first lockdown! While I was experiencing a ‘lockdown’ (read curfew!) for the first time – office, kids, cooking, dishes, laundry, cleaning... everything was time-bound & high priority! As you passed the last sentence you were reminded of your own difficult times, weren’t you?

During these difficult times, #BigBasket, #Amazon, #Swiggy, #Zomato, #Dunzo and many other such platforms proved extremely helpful! 95% of our household requirements – like groceries, electronic items, gifts, clothing and during weekends, meals & snacks too were met through these platforms. 

At one point, my husband and I were able to enjoy our evening tea at our respective work desks, because of #Chaipoint!

So, what does this have to do with the topic of reverse mentoring? I will get to it in a bit.

Around three months into the #newnormal, all of us at home had our space, new routine and the new normal was beginning to receive its due acceptance.  

During this time, my 11-year-old son would be the one most ‘seen’ around at home! Each of us had our ‘corner’ set and were not inclined to move, except for this young lad, who ‘visited’ us every 30-45 minutes, with his Wi-Fi headset on! Sometimes he was welcomed and many other times, shooed away!

Seeing him walk around while attending his online classes, each time there was a delivery person at the door, my husband and I would request him to collect the delivery. Fortunately, he started liking this little chore and eventually, it became his ‘unwritten responsibility’! Only if he could not move away from his online class would one of us get the door. (Yeah, I agree, he is a darling!)

During one such instance of collecting the delivery, the delivery person ensured all the things ordered were handed over properly, spoke very well and before leaving, the person requested my son to provide positive feedback on the delivery experience. Not knowing how else to respond, he agreed.

Later during the day, he came to me, shared his experience, and asked me to rate the person high. I said that the person just did his job, as we all are expected to do, with utmost sincerity and passion. And if the person was doing well, the company would take care of them. My son argued that maybe the company would take care, but the person made an extra effort to leave him with a happy experience and so, he wanted to ‘#thank’ the person – not everyone was that nice.

He had a #validpoint.

After a bit of back-and-forth, he suggested that going forward, every time he collected a delivery, he would offer candies to the delivery person – it was his way of saying #thankyou. We liked the idea and now, at the entry, there is candy jar, and not just my son, any of us who collects the delivery, offers candies as a modest gesture to thank the delivery person for the service. 

People in this line of work know the challenges – traffic, time crunch, rain, pollution – they risk their health due to the stress of delivering ‘on-time’, ‘before-time’ and what not. It’s an amazing feeling for us to see the smile on their face, when they are treated to the surprise. It brightens our moments too!

Pandemic has taught us many things, but this time my son taught us something at home as well. Offering candies is now a ritual at home!

 My two take-aways from this incident –

• Our little effort to appreciate someone else’s service goes a long way in making a real difference in their life. Even if the effort is just modest to little, even when a person is just doing the job, we should make that effort to bring a smile on their face.  
• This is applicable to us in HR too, as we sit on the other side of the table. Even when we are just doing our job, if the experience we provide brings a smile on someone’s face, it leaves an indelible mark on the person!