Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Random business thoughts

Hrms. It's hard typing with a paper towel wrapped around your finger. (Cardboard paper cut.. I'll live, don't worry).

So, I'll preface this with.. Yes, I am glad to have a job. I get paid well. I have no right to bitch.

But, I'll do it anyway.

It's not really a bitch, more of a questioning thought stream to those big business CEOs.

Does cutting bottled water service to the water cooler really save that much money? Really?

That's the latest in a long line of things that have gotten cut. Now, some background. The water here often runs brown. Yes, I kid you not. So, it was nice having a water cooler with clear water.

Side note: It's pretty weird, going to the bathroom, going to wash your hands, and seeing brown water pouring out of the faucet. One of those scenarios they didn't go over with you in elementary school. What do you do? Are your hands cleaner or dirtier after washing them?
(Note: I came up with the keep a bottle of hand sanitizer handy for myself solution. So, you can shake my hand with confidence!)

So, it was nice.

We can't get pens and paper and notebooks.. Haven't for a long time.

Calendars, we can print our own..

The list goes on. They're all little things, but they don't cost much for a really really big business. They don't even register on the scale.

Yet, the impact to employee morale is huge.

If I ever lose my mind and go for a doctorate in business administration, I think that's my topic. What is the perceived savings versus actual cost? Granted, it's hard to measure morale impact on productivity, but I think you could churn out a couple hundred pages on the topic.

But, I am fortunate to have a job. I tell myself that as the monster of insanity meets me at the door every morning.

3 comments:

tfh said...

Well, you're not suggesting the CEO take a pay cut, are you? Heaven forbid. Yes, we should be grateful to have jobs, but they should be grateful to have dedicated employees, too, and some things just make us feel less dedicated-- brown water? Really? UGH. So what are you doing? Bringing a water bottle from home?

Shannon said...

I'm going through a similar experience at work too. New administrator, new principal, etc. etc. Change...change...change "the budget is really bad right now" but moral is really down too, I feel like screaming!

Hang in there, it could be worse.

Denise said...

I get so frustrated when we do lay offs at work, cut backs, etc then we have some silly "safety" day and they give away magnet, pens, junk! I just don't get it.