Happy New Year
January 1, 2009 · Print this post
I’ll be blogging again on a regular schedule starting next week, but want to wish a very happy 2009 to all of you.
I’m grateful for your presence here, your support of the program, your comments and feedback — and most especially for your belief that these ideas matter; and that perhaps we can make our world a little better, a little easier, and a little more connected by changing how we treat each other at work.
It’s a polite revolution, but a revolution nonetheless.
Happy 2009, and here’s to the change that’s in the wind.
I am so glad you are moving forward with this project. When the economy is down like it is now is when bad managers crawl out of the woodwork.
I recently posted an entry on my blog recently about how Lance, Inc. purchased a cookie factory that had been close by the previous owners, rehired 60 of the 300 employees that were laid off, and then gave $1500 gift cards to all 300 employees who were laid off. Lance plans to rehire everyone by the end of 2009.
A cynic might say this was nothing more than a PR stunt, but at least some people who were hurting benefited from it, and it does build good relations for the future.
That story may not fit what Human At Work is all about, but it is a “warm and fuzzy” story about a company that treats people with respect which seems to be a rarity these days.
I am looking forward to future posts from you Kelley!
Jim, what a great story. And sure, this is what HAW is about — recognizing that we are human beings who work, not “workers” who are inconveniently human.
I don’t think every company owes every worker a living. But a company who cultivates the idea that being human at work is valuable, an asset, a Good Thing for Everyone — that company will be in a better position to provide a living to a lot more workers for a much longer time. I believe this completely. Those folks will work hard for Lance, I’m guessing, because they all know how much of a stake they all have in the company’s success, and because they feel part of it, not apart from it.
It’s not hard to be this way. Just takes skills and practice. Good for David Singer (CEO) and the rest of the executive team at Lance.