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I think this is a very important lesson for startups. Most medium & big companies behave this way. Fix a customers problem, don't make excuses about it not bein

by prakash 17y ago

I think this is a very important lesson for startups. Most medium & big companies behave this way. Fix a customers problem, don't make excuses about it not being part of your job, or someone else didn't step up.

adamc 17y ago
I mostly agree, but the reason most medium and big companies behave this way is that most employees are in fact wage slaves with little influence outside of their direct purview. This is one of the inherent advantages of small companies where a relatively high fraction of the work force has equity, and where the bureaucracy is not yet powerful.
- prakash 17y ago
  absolutely! In most medium to large companies, the #1 job of most employees is to keep their job and worry about their career. Customers come a distant 2nd, if they are so lucky!
- timwiseman 17y ago
  Very true and an excellent point. Even so, I would expect a conscientious employee to at least make the effort instead. At a bare minimum, instead of saying "That's not my job." they should say, "I am sorry, I cannot help you with that, BUT the person who can is...."
  - undees 17y ago
    Exactly! I've worked for big companies that have done dumb things, and my bosses and co-workers have consistently taken the attitude of, "I'm sorry this has happened. I'm forwarding the information about this problem to so-and-so." Then they've followed up a couple of weeks later with, "Did so-and-so get back to you? Were they able to fix the problem?" It's a nice example to try to live up to.
asmithmd1 17y ago
I was lucky enough to be staying at a Ritz-Carlton a couple of years ago and poked my head into an employee break room out of curiosity. There was a poster on the wall that said, "You have the responsibility and authority to handle the customers problem" I am sure they had been told that in training, but there it was as a daily reminder. Everyone starts a new job with enthusiasm, but I am sure the "I just work here" crowd have been smacked down more than once when they went out on a limb to do what they thought was the right thing.

by prakash 17y ago

adamc 17y ago

I mostly agree, but the reason most medium and big companies behave this way is that most employees are in fact wage slaves with little influence outside of their direct purview. This is one of the inherent advantages of small companies where a relatively high fraction of the work force has equity, and where the bureaucracy is not yet powerful.

prakash 17y ago
absolutely! In most medium to large companies, the #1 job of most employees is to keep their job and worry about their career. Customers come a distant 2nd, if they are so lucky!
timwiseman 17y ago
Very true and an excellent point. Even so, I would expect a conscientious employee to at least make the effort instead. At a bare minimum, instead of saying "That's not my job." they should say, "I am sorry, I cannot help you with that, BUT the person who can is...."
- undees 17y ago
  Exactly! I've worked for big companies that have done dumb things, and my bosses and co-workers have consistently taken the attitude of, "I'm sorry this has happened. I'm forwarding the information about this problem to so-and-so." Then they've followed up a couple of weeks later with, "Did so-and-so get back to you? Were they able to fix the problem?" It's a nice example to try to live up to.

asmithmd1 17y ago

I was lucky enough to be staying at a Ritz-Carlton a couple of years ago and poked my head into an employee break room out of curiosity. There was a poster on the wall that said, "You have the responsibility and authority to handle the customers problem" I am sure they had been told that in training, but there it was as a daily reminder. Everyone starts a new job with enthusiasm, but I am sure the "I just work here" crowd have been smacked down more than once when they went out on a limb to do what they thought was the right thing.