We’ve been told we are all created equal.

I go along with that.

But we sure don’t stay that way.

Some of us have pride in what we do. We give 100% to our job, regardless of what it is. Others slide by with as little effort as possible.

One woman told me she might “only be a clerk,” but she tries to be the very best clerk she can be.

As I watched her cheerfully wait on customers and go out of her way to accommodate requests, she seemed to be doing much more work than the other clerks.

I have always made it a point to compliment especially good workers. I did this with her but then I carried it one step further. Since I knew her boss, I felt free to tell him how extraordinary she was.

“Watch her on a busy day and you’ll see how well she does,” I told him.

I asked if he had a way of rewarding exceptional workers.

He said it was obvious I knew nothing about management. “I have to treat everyone the same or I would have a revolt on my hands,” he said.

That conversation was a while ago but I often think about the injustice of it all.

Is it fair that all workers are treated the same even though they don’t all do the same amount and quality of work?

Then this week I had the misfortune of encountering a clerk I’ll call Don’t Know.

I went into Walmart with a prescription for a pair of distance glasses.

A young woman waited on me and was extremely helpful. Her suggestions saved me from making a mistake getting distance only glasses that wouldn’t let me see the dashboard.

When I told her I was looking for colorful glasses I saw a week ago, she spent a lot of time pulling out stock until she found the glasses.

Unfortunately she couldn’t fit me with glasses, she said, because she isn’t licensed, and I would have to wait for Monday. But she got everything ready for the manager, stapling a card with the glasses I want along with my prescription in a big envelope.

When I went in on Monday she wasn’t there. A disinterested clerk told me my prescription wasn’t there either.

I insisted I saw the woman put it in the drawer. Well it’s not where it’s supposed to be so I can’t help, she said, without checking further.

Hey, I paid for that prescription and need to have it. What am I supposed to do without it?

“Don’t know,” the clerk said, refusing to look any longer for it. She said it probably got thrown out.

I got nowhere with the “Don’t Know” clerk and now I have to go back to my optical center for another prescription.

That’s what I mean by all workers are not equal. Some are caring, some are helpful and others make you walk out and say you are never going back.

I have tremendous respect for every worker that tries ... and contempt for those who don’t.

This week I had two workers come to my house to do an installation that was supposed to take less than two hours. Six hours later they were still struggling to do it and in the process broke my window sill.

That’s no problem. It’s a good company and I know they will fix it.

But the worker didn’t give up and I have to give him credit for trying. He was proud of himself when he finally did it.

Because of the shortage of workers there are probably new workers everywhere who have to go through a learning curve.

I have nothing put respect for everyone in the work force. I keep hearing how so many people no longer want to work for a living. It’s beyond my understanding.

The worker who took 6 hours to do a do two-hour job forced me to cancel a dinner invitation because I had to stay until the job was finished.

But I was glad to see how happy the worker was when he got it right.

He was trying his best and that’s all we can expect from anyone. It sure beats the “Don’t Know” clerk who refused to open drawers to find the big envelope with my prescription on it.

If management doesn’t notice when a worker is doing a great job at least we can help by complementing any exceptional worker.

Let me ask you this question: Have we changed our attitude about work?

I remember being happy when I turned 16 because I could then apply for a part-time job.

Back then, we all wanted to work.

Is it still like that today? Do kids look forward to having a job?

I can honestly say I learned a lot from every job I had, even the worst one.

A job gives us more than a paycheck.

In my home, there was the expectation we would all work. Many say that attitude is long gone.

David Bahnsen’s book, “Full Time Work and the Meaning of Life,” makes the case that our work provides unique meaning and purpose to life.

He says there is a deepening crisis in America because fewer people want to work.

Maybe that’s one more reason why we should value the workers we have.

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.