A study attempting to measure the level of non-academic employee satisfaction at Cornell was conducted and reported in The Sun this past September. The study consisted of 277 employees participating in online exercises that were designed to measure their happiness and productivity.

While results have yet to be released, preliminary evidence suggested that results varied between departments. However, one of the underlying university-wide incongruities is the belief that employers offer incentives such as bonuses to boost morale and satisfaction, whereas employees really just want to be able to love their jobs.

The University understandably has an obligation to examine the results of the survey and to make appropriate adjustments to increase employee happiness, and in turn, productivity. Whether this is accomplished through policy changes, scheduling, regulation adjusting or other measures, I am confident administrators will competently adopt the correct means necessary to implement positive change.

Yet while the administration can polish their policies and offer more amenities to university employees, there is one important variable that they can not control: the students. We are the ones with whom the majority of these employees interact with on a daily basis, and, in turn, play a large determinant in the quality and satisfaction of their jobs.

Take a moment to reflect. You’ve been studying for the past eight hours straight and are getting one last espresso shot before the Tower Café closes. You arrive at the Café only to find a line winding out the door. Stressed and aggravated about your wait and foreboding exam, you obnoxiously order! (not ask for) your drink and stalk away, impatiently waiting for its delivery. Meanwhile, Darlene, the employee behind the counter, is at the end of pulling a double shift and has been listening to coffee-dictators like you bark at her for 12 hours straight. Yet Darlene retains her stoic and remarkably polite manner in serving your heiress as she trudges toward the end of her shift.

Another moment occurs, reasonably less stressful, while you’re waiting in line at the Terrace for a wrap. Lunch is a jovial, relaxing respite from your school day where you are all too anxious to socialize with friends. Yet rarely, if ever, do you notice the women behind the counter (Dee et. al.) rapidly toiling to make your wrap. While you stand there and enjoy a break, these ladies furiously work non-stop. Ever think they’d like to hear something other than “chicken,” “lettuce,” “tomatoes,” and “sour cream?” Obviously there is no obligation to initiate conversation, but a simple greeting or token of appreciation for their efforts wouldn’t hurt.

Granted these two scenarios are not unfamiliar and can be extrapolated to many different encounters we students have with non-academic Cornell employees on a daily basis. However, what is unfamiliar to some are the concepts of manners, good will and respect. The manner in which some robotically instruct and communicate with said employees reeks of a rotten sense of entitlement and a repugnant air of obnoxiousness.

I’m not asking that you share your life story with these workers, but did a“hello” “please” or “thank you” evaporate from your vocabularies? Because Cornellians are all so competitive and highly motivated, we tend to only think about ourselves. Many times, I know (for I am guilty of this as well), we are too concerned with our own lives, exams and activities to give a second thought to the person behind the counter. But don’t forget that Cornell’s employees go through incredibly stressful work day experiences (at times, simultaneously with ours) also. So instead of becoming hostile, impatient or rude, one should be able to relate to the intense scramble of everyday life and offer some conciliatory remarks, or if that’s too much, just a respectful tone.

The results of the employee satisfaction study should provide eye-opening opportunities for adjustments by the Cornell administration. The effect of these implementations, however, is dependent in part by a collaborative student body effort. As Prof. Chris Peterson from the University of Michigan, and one of the psychologists administering the study, said in The Sun, “It’s important for students to remember it’s the staff that makes it all happen. At a university, the professors are like the rock stars, but you have to remember all the people that make the show happen. If students just take the time to say ‘thank you’ on the phone it would make a world of difference.”

This isn’t rocket science, rather a refresher in manners. Professors, non-academic employees, administration and students all toil through midterms, snow days and Slope Days. If a more campus- wide collaborative effort were undertaken to exhibit respect and to illustrate the goodness of humanity, the effects of employee satisfaction and happiness would ripple out throughout the entire Cornell community. So next time you’re out and about, don’t be afraid to use those manners on someone who isn’t writing you a letter of recommendation.

Carl Menzel is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be contacted at

cmenzel@­c­o­r­n­ellsun.com. Southern Style appears alternate Fridays.