Eat Your Own Dog Food

I worked for an  IT Company that had an IT helpdesk that was beyond helpless. I worked for a Telecommunications company where the boss created an atmosphere of fear and hatred. I worked for an insurance company where the staff would burst into tears. I worked for a bank with a stationery cupboard with no stationery in it.

If this is the way we treat our employees, how do you think our customers will feel? But no, we treat our customers like kings, right? But if we look upon our employees, no matter where they sit in an organisation, they all have (or must have) an end impact on the customer experience – we are all part of the chain that leads to the customer. Break that chain or pass the wrong message down the line and we do damage.

So when you come to work for a company that earns billions of dollars profit a year and you don’t have paper to write on, don’t have a cup to drink out of and the printer has been broken for a week, what is the impact? Do you turn up at work full of the joys of spring? Or do you brood and fester your discontent until it spreads like a slow poison?

For too long now businesses have been treating their staff like disposable assets, and in the last year or so employees have been taken advantage of more and more. Whilst many organisations have suffered, many still continue to reap huge harvests – but that doesn’t stop them from cancelling xmas parties and forcing “imposed leave”. So when you talk in fuzzy Marketing speak about how you are going to look after your customers, remember that it all starts within your gilded doors. If you can’t eat your own dog food then how do you expect anyone else to?

The tide is turning, the boats are waiting on the shore.

Are you going to be one of “them” or one of us…?

- TPN

Comments

[Robert]

Christmas parties being cancelled is just the senior people telling everyone that "We weren't able to operate efficiently this year, so we will punish our employees".

Smart managers would announce, "This has been a tough year, please exercise (financial) restraint around your Christmas functions but maximise the fun."

In my experience, employees understand that some years are bad, and they invariably come up with zero cost fun celebrations.

Analogy:
Bad Dad announces to the family "There will be no holiday at the beach this year because we can't afford it."

Rad Dad announces "We can't go on holiday, but we wanna have fun. What do you think?"
Kids: "Why don't we get a trailer load of sand dumped in the back yard and invite everyone around for the day and a sleepover?"

[The Process Ninja]

Hi Robert - it's a lot more cunning than that. Many of the companies that are cutting back are doing so even though they are making more money than previous years because they can hide it under the GFC banner. It's downright devious and disrespectful...but the time is coming soon and employees will vote with their feet...just like customers do.

[The Process Ninja]

Hi Robert - it's a lot more cunning than that. Many of the companies that are cutting back are doing so even though they are making more money than previous years because they can hide it under the GFC banner. It's downright devious and disrespectful...but the time is coming soon and employees will vote with their feet...just like customers do.

[Van Perez]

The Bank, or should i say the Insurance arm of the bank i'm currently working for isn't actually hosting a Christmas party this year. Instead, each business unit will be organising their own party and pressumably have to pay for themselves.

I guess the Pepper shaker that we received should make up that.

[The Process Ninja]

I have heard about the famous pepper shaker...maybe next year they will give you a salt shaker to complete the set - maybe that's their version of a loyalty bonus???