Archive of May 2008
Zappos bribes employees to quit
Amazing commitment to creating a gung-ho corporate culture (if you can call it “corporate”):
…When Zappos hires new employees, it provides a four-week training period that immerses them in the company’s strategy, culture, and obsession with customers. People get paid their full salary during this period.
After a week or so in this immersive experience, though, it’s time for what Zappos calls “The Offer.” The fast-growing company, which works hard to recruit people to join, says to its newest employees: “If you quit today, we will pay you for the amount of time you’ve worked, plus we will offer you a $1,000 bonus.” Zappos actually bribes its new employees to quit!
Why? Because if you’re willing to take the company up on the offer, you obviously don’t have the sense of commitment they are looking for. It’s hard to describe the level of energy in the Zappos culture—which means, by definition, it’s not for everybody. Zappos wants to learn if there’s a bad fit between what makes the organization tick and what makes individual employees tick—and it’s willing to pay to learn sooner rather than later.
I’ve never bought from Zappo’s myself, but my wife has and had only positive things to say. I’m tempted to shop there if only to experience their customer service. There aren’t many companies I can say that about!
(Via Mark Hurst.)
09:46 AMCNN Headline T-shirts: the very definition of Postmodernism
Tasteless. Shameless. Ironically un-ironic.
09:52 AM