Picnic in the Mountains

It was a perfect day for a picnic in the mountains.

Sun shining, crisp mountain air, good company, and traditional picnic food for all.

Seated across the table from us were two ladies whom we had never met.

Time to get acquainted.

I've said it before and will say it again...

EVERYONE HAS A STORY TO TELL.

And, RAH and I were spell bound by their intriguing story of a very successful business gone awry when they merged with a big name company.

Gayle and Linda loved working at their company.  They felt valued.  Everyone worked together and there was, as Gayle said, a strong sense of camaraderie, not competition.  They had parties, celebrations, group get-aways.  They were part of a team.  The bosses knew them, enjoyed them.  On Halloween, the bosses dressed up in costume just like the employees.  It was great to work for them.

It was not just a big party, everyone worked hard, but everyone felt like they were needed and were willing to work hard.

Then they merged with a big name in the industry.

And, at that point, everything totally changed and went south.The new company brought in their sales people; driven and highly competitive.  New company brought in their own executive secretary.  Linda was gone.  She felt victimized.

The old company employees began to leave one by one.  Gayle retired.  Their stock options, which they had purchased at $35.00 a share, were sold at $2.00 per share....they all lost money.  It was a sad time for all.  AND, after all that, the new company declined in revenue, value, and importance.

As always, it leaves me wondering; WHY DON'T COMPANIES SEE THAT TREATING EMPLOYEES FAIRLY AND DECENTLY; MAKING THEM FEEL A VALUED PART OF THE COMPANY, WILL INEVITABLY MAKE THEM LOYAL WORKERS DRIVEN TO SUCCEED BECAUSE THEY FEEL IMPORTANT TO THE COMPANY?

Gayle summed it up perfectly; it's always about the bottom line, but in this case, the bottom line dropped right out from under them!