A few weeks ago we discussed the reception that some people experience when being greeted by Immigration and Customs staff at LF Wade International Airport. Well, obviously the message got through, because I got a call the other day seeking clarification. Someone has to have taken offence because the article was clear and specific. However, and I reiterate, the comments were directed at Customs and Immigration staff; not staff who work at the Department of Civil Aviation or the Department of Airport Operations. But this raises another issue which kind of ticks me off the pattern of ‘cover your butt’, which seems to be the way most people work today. More on this after the top 20.Holding at #1 is the world’s hottest dance anthem Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock. Immovable at #2 is Last Friday (TGIF) by Katy Perry. Katy Perry just seems to drop hits every few months. Big props to her producers. Hanging on with nowhere to go at #3 is Rolling In The Deep by Adele. There are quite a few remixes of this one which cater to every taste.Motivation by Kelly Rowland featuring L’il Wayne holds down the #4 spot this week. This track is hot and I was debating with some friends the other day the fact that L’il Wayne is an extremely creative rapper/entertainer. He’s a l’il weird, but he is very gifted. Apparently he was a bright kid in school. Now if he could lay off the drugs he would really be onto something.Falling to #5 is Give Me Everything by Pitbull, Neo, AfroJack & Nayer, still a DJLT fave which I play in the car often. You have to like the catchy lyrics, Pitbull’s smooth voice and the collaboration of so many hot artists. Slipping to #6 is Enrique Iglesias’ current hit Tonight I’m Loving You.Improving to #7 is the Latin/soca anthem Danza Kuduro, by Don Omar, Pit Bull, Lucenzo, DJ Laz and Qwote. Pit Bull again; the guy is hot. Down to #8 is I’m Into You by Jennifer Lopez featuring L’il Wayne. Word on the street is that Jenny from the block is dating, already. Geesh, nobody cries over spilled milk or failed relationships any more. It’s like ‘on to the next one’. Down to #9 is Run the World (Girls) by Beyonce.Up to #10 is the new one from Chris Brown, entitled She Ain’t You. Down one space to #11 is Just Can’t Get Enough by the Black Eyed Peas. Tumbling to #12 is Beautiful People by Chris Brown featuring Benny Benassi. Down to #13 is 6 Foot 7 Foot by L’il Wayne featuring Cory Gunz.Up to #14 is a former essential new tune, I Wanna Go, from Britney Spears. Improving to # 15 is Put Your Hands Up (If You …) by Kylie Minogue, a former essential new track. Up at #16 is Best Thing I Never Had by Beyonce. On the way up at #17, is Wotless by Kes The Band. Climbing at # 18 is Bend Over by Machel Montano. Soca music still rules in the summer time.Now this week’s essential new tunes are some reggae anthems my Mavado, Fly Away and Pepper, entering at #19 and #20 respectively. Mavado has had a good run, dropping hits for years which do well on the dance hall circuit.Now back to this week’s topic cover your butt. As we started, a few weeks ago I shared sentiments expressed by persons who had the pleasure of being greeted at LFW by staff at Immigration and Customs who were not so friendly, not very welcoming. They were gruff, definitely not exhibiting the demeanour of one who understands that they are in the service business, which suggests a need to smile, be approachable, welcoming, happy (don’t bring your problems to work, make believe you’re happy whilst you’re at work) and treat people the way you would like to be treated if the roles were reversed.We also didn’t mention DAO or DCA staff by name, so if any of them got their knickers in a twist take it easy, slow your role, it wasn’t directed at you. For all intents and purposes it seems that DAO and DCA staff are getting it done and are not part of this problem. However, if people become too defensive, one might wonder whether there is a reason that they are being too defensive. So my message to DAO and DCA staff is that whilst you were not being called out in my last go round of criticism, please don’t go slacking off and thinking that you’re all that! Nobody is perfect and there is always room for improvement. So keep your standards high and aim to get even better. And this brings me to my topic for this week why is everybody so busy trying to cover their butt?I’ve been working for 35 years and have seen a lot in that time. But nothing could have prepared me for the current ethos of so many employees today. It seems that too many people I meet, work with, work for, supervise, try to hire, try to fire, or have to do anything with starts from the position of covering their butt. I HATE IT! I CAN’T STAND IT! I’M HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING USED TO IT.I’m seeing this work style from the top to the bottom of organisations, in private sector and in Government and must say that it is really sad when covering your backside takes precedence over just getting the job done.Well, I guess things have changed and it is not so much survival of the fittest or strongest but survival of the person who covers their butt the best and for the longest!I’m from a place called “Get up early, go to work, give an honest day’s work in return for an honest day’s pay”. This work ethic also includes helping people, good customer service, assisting colleagues, do anything legal and reasonable to get the job done, take out the trash if necessary, refill the water cooler, make a boss’ tea, whatever it takes.But I’ve met far too many people who are only interested in covering their butts. Some of these people will throw others under the bus to cover their own butt. Betrayal and disloyalty are commonplace nowadays. It used to be that ‘a man’s word was his bond’. Not anymore. Not with everybody. It used to be that if a guy told you that he was going to do something he would do it. He might not always do it on exactly the day and time you wanted it, but he would get it done in a reasonable amount of time. Those days appear, for the most part, to be behind us.I hope for a day when there will be more trust in the workplace, when people will be truly honest with their colleagues, subordinates, superiors and internal and external customers. A day when people come to work on time, know what they have to do, get on with it, get it done well, they don’t betray colleagues but simply assist others who may require help. A day when people don’t leave home conjuring up ways to cover their butts, but instead dream, think and create ways to do their jobs better, faster, cheaper and ways to make companies more profitable. A day when more Bermudians try business ownership/investment as opposed to just being employees.And this leads me back to one of my pet phrases: employees would be far better and in fact model employees if they ran their own business for a while and saw just what it is like as a business owner/investor.Until that day comes, unless something else changes, it looks like we will be a country of butt-coverers. Peace.…..DJLT!