Comments on: Why Doesn’t Corporate America Really Care About Its Brand?

By: Jeannie Holcomb

Jeannie Holcomb — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:59:24 +0000

I think you have to take into consideration, how the employees are valued by said corporations. I’ve worked for a lot of them. I am a skilled and educated woman. I very much want to find a place that I would be proud to stay a part of. Hope springs eternal, right?
Sadly though, in my experience, the career starts with a lot of charisma, a lot of talk of how the ‘brand’ is ‘lived’. Then goals are set for the employee in such a way that very few workers could ever meet the gambit of them, and those that do are thwarted by the fact that the ’store’ or the ‘region’ didn’t meet their overall goal, and so, sorry! I have yet to find a place that does not split my days off, and require me to also split up shifts, or make ‘mandatory’ meetings that are not convenient to my shift. So while employees, team members, associates, whatever you want to call us, are expected to value the company and it’s goals, the company puts no value on our time, families, or obligations outside of the workplace.
We are not valued. We are warm bodies who are initially excited and emotionally sated with the illusion of that ‘great place to be a part of’. And when one round of workers sees the reality of their employer, the customer service slips. The ‘branding’ is not ‘lived’.
You will find few people with the integrity to deliver great customer service when they themselves feel undervalued by their company. And though that may be wrong, they are right in the fact that they should be truly valued by their employers. Why is it impossible to have a set shift, or a 4 day 10 hour work week that would allow the family to be the the part of our lives that it should be.
I feel undervalued. I feel punished for having chosen to have a family. I feel lied to and cheated, and sick of it all. Yet I am still the team member who will do my job to the best of my ability until my last day, because that reflects on ME not the company. But it’s always on to the next thing isn’t it?
I do great work!
I know I don’t want ‘too much’!
Why is wanting your family to have precedence, and time to ENJOY LIFE considered TOO MUCH?

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 14:56:15 +0000

Thanks for your comments, Laurel. I agree with the views of the article in the Biz Journal. I have a unique perspective, too, being a Canadian and living in the U.S. as a new resident. However, I do believe that American corporations have to be paragons of this “better behavior” by providing quality customer experiences in our own backyard, in addition to individual citizens modeling good behavior in other countries. These types of articles, bringing the issues to light, is a good start.

By: Laurel Delaney

Laurel Delaney — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 02:01:43 +0000

We do care about our brand everywhere. I’m sure you must have caught the article published in The Wall Street Journal earlier this week:
Teaching Americans How To Behave
http://www.postgazette.com/pg/06102/681242-37.stm
And in February, I wrote a global business column for Entrepreneur magazine on a similar subject and headlined:
American Outcast:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/Magazines/Copy_of_MA_SegArticle/0,4453,326026,00.html
Once we learn how to behave and be good world citizens, we learn how to market a brand across borders.
Best,
Laurel