Being missed when YOU are not there
'Being missed' will follow the sucessful development of 'being there' and 'feeling lke you belong'.
When an individual feels welcomed and comfortable to participate, relationships are formed that will lead to people being missed or noticed when they are not there. There is nothing quite like people asking where you have been after a bout of sickness, or noting how much you were missed at a party.
Being missed when you are not there means:
- People know you well
- People depending on you
- Feeling part of a group
- Feeling like you are contributing
This part of inclusion is a little magical. It is hard to programme or construct.
Social indicators reveal that some social environments assist people to become more socially capable than others, and that some groups face greater disadvantage than others (e.g. Indigenous people, people with a low income or with a disability, people from non-English speaking backgrounds). It is clear that some members of society are excluded from the benefits of a healthy community.
The Personal TouchMatt McCracken
It’s the personal touch, you get known, when I haven’t been there for a while it is like ‘where you been Matt, have you been well, we haven’t seen you for a while’ your missed, they ask what have you been up to, they’re interested.
It is about respect. People don’t forget if they have been disrespected, so I always tell them that I appreciate their service. Good service for me is good service for everybody, whether you are an able body or not, everyone’s a customer. If you have lousy service you will miss business because nobody is going to come back.
The best thing you can do is to get to know your customer because once you get to know the customer, understand and meet their needs, they will keep coming back.
It comes back to management, they set the direction. Staff need to understand the importance for showing respect for the individual as an individual no matter what culture or abilities they may have, its just respecting and understanding peoples’ needs.
