There seems to be a phenomenon in the workplace – in all workplaces – when you’ve just finished Doing the Thing you’re supposed to do. The moment you lean back for one second, sure enough, the Boss walks by and says, “Why aren’t you Doing the Thing?!?” In honor of this widespread misfortune, my fellow store managers and I developed:
The Barrister Free Mulligan Token
You see, I work at a board game & toy store. In the world of collectible card games, taking a mulligan essentially means putting back the hand you were dealt and drawing a new one. We figured our staff could use a second chance if they were ever caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. With plenty of help from Shane, I was able to laser-cut a bunch of wooden tokens.
Standing up to your boss can be difficult. But there are times when it’s appropriate, and now each employee is well-armed against fickle fortune. Shane called our idea “very forward-thinking.” My favorite part was at last week’s staff meeting, where everyone got do decorate their own personal token:
To expend a token, we simply drop it through the slot in the top of the pencil case, which is bolted to the backplate. Once you take your Mulligan, the boss owes you a second chance, an apology, and (for good measure) a sandwich. Expended tokens may be reclaimed by attending a staff meeting. Who knows how much use they’ll see? Even as just a symbol, it gave us a way to talk about the elephant in the room.
And play with the glitter glue.
