Monday, May 20, 2013

Despicable, Heartless Woman!

Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored," a voice crying out in the wilderness for collective bargaining since 2005! Today's sermon is about a sermon I heard over the weekend. Sadly, I can't produce the text of that sermon for you, because I couldn't find it on the news radio web page. But tra la la! This is a blog! I can say anything I want and not attribute it, because I'm not being paid!

The sermon I heard:
I was driving, so I didn't catch her name, but her title was dean of the School of Business at Drexel University. The news radio, KYW, billed the sermon as a "business commentary."

The dean spoke to the topic of "disgruntled employees." Here is the gist of her sermon, and I am not exaggerating:

*If you have a disgruntled employee, he or she can ruin workplace morale. Said employee will complain to others who will also then become disgruntled.

*If one of these employees comes to your attention, take swift action. Delaying can only make matters worse.

*The first step you should take is to warn the employee sternly to stop such behavior.

*If the employee does not heed the warnings, swift termination is recommended.

That was her sermon.

I almost drove into a ditch.

Nothing about having a chat with the disgruntled employee to see if there actually is a problem at the employee's level of the administration that could have a negative impact on the company's profitability.

Nothing about having a chat (or having human resources conduct a chat) to find out if the employee is having personal, relationship, health, or mental problems that could be addressed in a compassionate manner.

Nothing about talking to other employees about the impact the disgruntled employee is having on them and to gather opinions as to the damage the disgruntled employee is doing to company morale.

Basically scold 'em and screw 'em. Quickly.

And this moron par excellence is Dean of the LeBow School of Business at Drexel University, where tuition is $62,000 a year. This woman is influencing future generations of business leaders.

Annie's Swift Response to the Sermon:
When I got home from the grocery store, I went to the news radio web site to try to find the text of the commentary and the exact person who delivered it. I was unsuccessful. Everything I searched for "Drexel School of Business" brought up ads for the school.

So I went to Drexel's home site, and sure enough there was a female dean at the LeBow School of Business. She had an email that consisted of a string of numbers and letters, something like this:
z39QZT46 at Drexel etc. etc. etc.

So I sent z39QZT46 an email. It went like this.

Dear z39QZT46,

I happened to be driving along, and I heard your advice on how to handle disgruntled employees. I can't agree with you enough. I've been involved in business and industry for decades, and I think your practical advice should be heeded by everyone and anyone in a position of decision-making in a company.

You should be very proud of yourself. Our nation needs more forward-thinking professors like you, to guide the young people who are going into management positions so that they can assure a productive workforce. Jolly good show.

God bless America,

Anne Johnson
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory

The email didn't get bounced back to me, so someone over at Drexel got it. May the entire place be damned for its despicable heartlessness.

8 comments:

Lucretia said...

And I'll bet you she has absolutely NO idea what the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was or did...

As another of those lower-level employees, I hope a thousand vultures descend on her house and use it for a Port-A-Poopy!

Rock on, Anne!!

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I say, Red Emma, are you trying to drag her into the 20th century? Just leave her there in the 19th where her ideas so clearly come from, you dirty anarchist.

Leslie said...

As the official Disgruntled Employee of Every Month, I have to say I snorted my beverage out my nose at that email.

Brava.

Anne Johnson said...

As I said, it didn't bounce back, so somebody read it! Just burns me up that people like her are TEACHING. The world is going to Hell.

Anne Johnson said...

I like being Red Emma!

Maebius said...

Wow, yeah, that is kinda sad. But, being a vaguely disgrntled member of the Corporate Machine, (with the obligatory reshuffling of company-names on paycheck, yet same desk every few years for the past 15!)... this is far too spooky-true for me to do more than just nod my head in either agreement of "yep, that's how it works doesnt' it" or hang it in frustrated "Why does it work this way?!"

But I can see how this 'useful message' is part of the culture here, far too easily. That kinda sucks.

Unknown said...

Fantastic.

I mean, what's the worst that could happen at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory?

I'm betting that warning employees "Stop being negative about your job or else!" works wonders all around.

Richard L P said...

"The beatings will stop when attitudes improve."