Today was a very sad day at Zappos…they had to lay off 8% of the company.  What makes Zappos stand out, though, is the degree of compassion, openness and communication they showed. Tony Hsieh (CEO) made public the email sent out to all employees regarding the lay off- why, how, what.

I don’t need to describe it.  You just need to read it.  Zappos Update

Oh- and just another note.  When you visit the main Zappos website, notice that the company notes one of its core values at the bottom, along with videos with employees.  A rare site indeed.

http://www.votehour.org

“CEOs around the country have come together to encourage their employees to take an hour on November 4 and go vote.”

Are you encouraging your employees to take time off to vote tomorrow?

“In the last election, the #1 reason eligible voters didn’t vote was because they were “too busy.” – U.S. Census Bureau”

Do you ever arrive at work with fresh bagels or muffins for your team/company “just because”?  

Have you ever surprised a hard-working team at 2:00 with tickets to a movie for all?

Perhaps you have just surprised them with a “It’s 2 pm, time to go home today.  Thanks for all your amazing work.”

As a manager, have you shared 24/7 duties with staff during the holidays so they can have family time too?

As an HR person, do you wander the office and talk to people?  Ask questions, learn about what they do, what they want?  (In a friendly way?)

Do you sometimes do things just to make someone’s day a little brighter?

Read and watch for more details: Employee Ideas Help Stanford Hospital Save Money

I often ask friends and acquaintances if they love what they do. Some say yes, some say no, and some look at me like I have 2 heads. Whatever the answer, I ask “why?”.  For those who love what they do, I want to know what makes it great. For those who say no, I want to know why they stay.  Below is a sampling of the responses I get.

• I am get to take on projects that challenge me.
• My company pays well above the industry standard, I make a lot of money.
• I can work remotely.
• My company pays 100% of my health benefits.
• My boss encourages me to think up new projects, suggest improvements.
• I work with an awesome team.
• I can leave early to take care of personal stuff whenever I need to.
• While I tend to work long hours sometimes, the company takes care of meals and has a couch where I can take a nap.  Plus, at the end of a major project, my manager takes us all out to celebrate.
• We have a great training/education program.
• Our company really pays attention to hiring, so I work with a ton of cool people.

As you can see, the responses vary wildly. 

The ones who say “yes” are generally the ones who are able to learn, grow, do “cool things”.  These are the employees who enjoy coming into work each day, contributing and making a difference.

Those who say “no” (but are staying) are generally the ones who are motivated by the finances or benefits. Are these employees engaged?  Perhaps not in the same way as those who say “yes”, but if the work they produce is meeting the needs of the company, then it equals out.  For the short term at least.

 What this all comes down to is knowing what makes a difference to your employees and providing the flexibility, programs and structure to meet their needs.