Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Time now for today's Strawberry Letter.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
And if you need advice on relationships, dating, work, sex, parenting,
and more.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Please submit your.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Strawberry Letter to Steve HARVEYFM dot com and click submit
Strawberry Letter. We could be reading your letter live on
the air, just like we're going to read this one
right here, right now.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Buggle up and hold on tight. We got it for
you here.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
It is a Strawberry Letter, Thank your nephews.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Subject my ungrateful young employee.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Dear Stephen Shirley.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
I'm a relatively successful entrepreneur and I have had a
lot of help along the way. I believe in returning
the favor and helping other minorities advance any way I can.
To that end, about a year ago, I hired a
twenty six year old black female that graduated.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
At the top of her class.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I set her up with an excellent starting salary and
her own office. I noticed she was not much of
a team player and worked better alone, and that was
fine with me because she was very smart and didn't
need a lot of direction at times.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
I noticed that.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
She lacks the emotional intelligence that is required in business,
and it was hard for her to keep her game
face on when she got flustered. Despite that, she's one
of my best employees, so I added her to a
global teams meeting that we have had weekly. I've impressed
with how much she's advanced in one year, and so
is the team. On the video call, one of our
(01:24):
biggest investors acknowledged her as the newest member and congratulated
her for being the youngest person to ever join the team. Surprisingly,
she replied, I appreciate that, but I've been doing way
more than I was hired to do, and i'd like
to discuss an increase in salary and a promotion. The
call got quiet and everyone looked uneasy. She's been with
(01:46):
me for one year and she was awarded the highest
entry level salary of anyone. I broke the silence by
telling her that we'd have to discuss that later. I
was appalled in her attitude, and I would love to get.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Her viewpoints on this.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
I allow you, I would love to get I'm sorry,
I would love to get your viewpoints on this.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Do I allow her to grow with my company?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Or turn my focus to one of my male interns
that always has a great attitude and is willing to learn.
Please advise, Hm, this is not personal, right, this is business.
You said yourself. She's smart, she graduated at the top
of her class. She's one of your best people at
the job. How is she ungrateful? Can you not afford
(02:30):
to give her a raise? I know you said you
were relatively successful. I mean, but can you not afford
to give her one? If she's deserving and a promotion
that she asked for?
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Is that it?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
If it is, I think you should say that because
I say, let her be great and don't get mad.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Because she believes she deserves a raise. I mean, she
is who she is.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Her timing might be a bit off because you're judging
how long she's been at the company and what you've
done for her already, meaning you gave her, you know,
a big Tree level starting salary. But it sounds to
me like she understands her value and her worth to
this company and she wants to be compensated for it.
I'm not sure why you're so upset that she wants
(03:12):
a raise. I think you said she's a valuable employee.
You said that throughout the letter. She's young and hungry,
she wants to get paid. You can talk to her
and tell her this shouldn't have been discussed at that
time if you like. But I like her confidence, I
like her boldness, I like her fearlessness.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Every company I think meets people like this. I think
you should celebrate her.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Like you said, get her viewpoint, get well, you said,
get our viewpoints on this. But see where her head
is too on this situation. Why she picked that moment
to say it? You know, but I don't think there's
a law against asking for a raise. And the alarming
thing in the letters that you said, should you turn
your focus on your mail interns that always have a
(03:56):
great attitude and are willing to learn. What does that
have to do with it anything? Are you upset that
she's a female and she asked for a raise? I mean, really,
what are you really saying here, Steve? I think she
deserves everything she should get.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Steve, My question is simple, my ungrateful young employee, Is
this a woman writing a letter or a man?
Speaker 1 (04:17):
I assumed it was a man, but it might be
a woman.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
See I thought it was a man too. So now
let me give you a peek inside the mind of
a man. Because if this is a man, which I
thought it was too, something else is going on here.
See I read between the lines. Your successful entrepreneur had
a lot of help along the way.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
You return to.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Favor and all this helping minorities any way you can.
About a year ago, you hired a twenty six year
old black female that graduated at the top of a class.
You set up with an excellent starting salary her own office.
I noticed she was not much of a team player. Okay,
that's usually not good, and she worked better alone. And
(05:03):
that was fine with me because she's very smart and
didn't need a lot of direction. Okay, so you let
that go at times. And here's the key to this
whole letter. I noticed that she lacks the emotional intelligence
that is required in business, and it's hard for her
to keep her game face on when she's flustered. Okay,
(05:24):
she's young, but you gave her her own office. You
gave her this grace salary. She twenty six, so what
was it?
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Dog?
Speaker 4 (05:34):
So now you know I'm just watching you now. Despite
all of that, she's one of the best employees. So
you added to her to a global team meeting we
had weekly. She's advanced. You impressed by the advance on
one video called one of our biggest investors, acknowledged her
newest member, congratulated her for being the youngest person ever
joined the team, and then she replied, I appreciate that,
(05:58):
but I've been doing way more than I It's hard
to do what I'd like to discuss an increase in
salary and promotion, and the problem is.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
All hang on.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Part two of your responses coming up at twenty three
minutes after the hour. Today's subject my ungrateful young employee.
We'll get back into it right after this. You're listening
to the Steve Harvey Morning Show. Hey, it's your girl,
Shirley Strawberry. You know, mornings just aren't complete without a
(06:29):
McDonald's breakfast. Have you heard about the new spicy sausage
McMuffin with egg. It's got a creamy red pepper heat.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
Hmm.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
I've got to try that. I'm thinking it would hit
just right with my morning coffee. And there's nothing like
that rush of making it to McDonald's in time for breakfast.
Swing by and make your morning at McDonald's morning Bada
Da Da da at participating restaurants for a limited time only.
All right, come on, Steve, let's recap today's strawberry letters
subject my ungrateful young employee.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
So now it's a woman that wrote the letter.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
We just learned this on a commercial break from people
who pull the strump a letter. So it's a woman,
which don't change much. You hide this black female. You've
been a successful entpreneur. You try to give back the
minority to help her move along. You hide his sister,
twenty six year old black female graduate, top of her class,
You set up with the excellent starting salary in her
own office. Know that she wasn't much of a team player.
(07:23):
She worked better alone and was fine because she's very
smart and don't need a lot of direction.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
That's what you said.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
But to me, here is again the whole meat behind
this letter. At times I noticed that she lacks the
emotional intelligence that is required in business, and it's hard
for her to keep her game face on when she
gets flustered, a typical sign of a young person.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
She's young, she young.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
She don't know the game face, she lacks the emotional bier,
this intelligence. Okay, I got it now. Despite that, she's
one of your best employees. Okay, so obviously you need
some more employees. So I added her to a global team.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Meeting that we had weekly.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
You were just impressed with how much she's advanced in
one year, and so is the team.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Everybody's impressed with her.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
But on the video call, one of your biggest investors
acknowledged her as the newest member and congratulated her for
being the youngest person ever joined the team.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
And this was her response.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
You say, surprisingly, I appreciate that, but I've been doing
way more than I was hired to do, and I
like to discuss an increase in salary. And the promotion
call got quiet. Everybody looked uneasy. You know why because
this person that lacks the emotional intelligence that is required
(08:53):
in business, and it's hard for her to keep her
game face on.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
When she flustered.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
She flustered and frushed after year working and now she
let it blurt out on the global team call. That's
how you thought it was the best way to get
a raise. Are you kidding me? You put everybody on
the phone call uneasy. She has been with me for
(09:21):
one year and she was awarded at the highest entry
level salary of anyone, and then you broke the silence
by telling her that we'd have to discuss that later.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
And you know why you had to.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
Tell her because then you say I was appalled at
her attitude.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Well why you surprised?
Speaker 4 (09:42):
You said that she lacks the emotional intelligence that is
required in business, and it's hard for her to keep
her game face on when she gets flustered.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
She got flustered, she cracked.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
She figured, naw, I'm asked for a raise right after
these compliments.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
On the global tem That's stupid.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
See this lack of emotional intelligence and business is how
you make business. Because what I've learned in business is
not always the smartest people.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
It's the best people to work with.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
She don't work well with others. She works best by herself.
You know, I can't have this crazy person talking in
big meetings for me because they don't work well with others.
And then she blew it. Now she says, I would
love to get your viewpoint on this. Do I allow
her to grow with my company or turn my focus
to one of my male interns that's always has a
(10:38):
great attitude and willing to learn. I don't think it's
a matter of turning your attention to anybody. I think
your determination has to be is this person.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Worth continuing on with?
Speaker 4 (10:52):
First of all, I would point out to her the
absurdness and the ridiculousness of you popping off at a
global meeting asking for a raise.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
You're selfish.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Hey, Steve, I want to ask you a question. When
is a good time to ask for a race?
Speaker 3 (11:10):
It is when you're not on the global team. Come.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
It doesn't seem like there's ever a good time. That's
my point.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
It's any times a good time to ask for a raise.
If you ask for an appointment to see your boss,
you have every right to go.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
And ask for a race. I ain't knocking.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
I ain't knocking her wanting to raise. I'm knocking the
way she went about doing it. You do that in
corporate America. Shut a meeting for your selfish? Are you stupid?
Speaker 3 (11:36):
But no, wait a minute, are you stupid? And now.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
You done threw out this here in front of everybody else, like,
ain't nobody else at the comedy working hard? So now
you got people looking at you sideways, which she don't
care because she don't work well with others. Look pull
up to the side and say, listen, there all know raises.
At this point, you were given the highest entry levels
and you've only been here for a year. This is
(12:05):
where the company is right now. And I understand something. Now,
you have to you have to put your time in.
Sometimes young people want it all right now.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Now.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
This woman that built this company, she ain't got no idea,
no idea, how long it took to bill. And I'm
gonna tell you from first hand experience what I can't
stand doing. And I've been working and building my company.
You come in because you see me making this. You
want this too? Well, that ain't how to work, homie.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Body gets paid what they're working. No, I don't think that.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
All right with you.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Post your comments on Today's Strawberry Letter and Steve Burby
FM on Instagram and Facebook. Check out the Strawberry Letter podcast.
Under Man, you're listening to the Steve Harvey Morning Show.