cold beer

The contractors that are working on our house are such great guys. In life, it is so easy to just treat people like workers, but it is so rewarding when we treat people like people. In the contract that we signed, it said ,"You should not speak to the workers, only speak to your foreman." Well, the foreman is not at the job every hour of every day. He is not the one who is high on the roof on the 100 degree day slaving over our house. We realized after a few short days that the guys who were showing up each day were very nice, and we also realized that many people who hire their company for work probably follow the "don't talk to them" rule. We broke that rule. We talk to them and want them to know how much we appreciate their dedication. After all, it is up to them whether or not the job that is being done is being done WELL. So every Friday, we leave a small cooler of cold beer for them. They love it. They appreciate it. And we appreciate them.