EE's required to subscribe...

HRinGA

Do any of you require FT employees to sign up for your company's service? Our President wants to require all FT ee's to subscribe to our product. (we are in the publishing business) We offer a 50% discount. We ran a list and he was quite disturbed at the number of employees who don't subscribe.
What's your take on this? And if you practice, how do you handle those who simply refuse?

Whatever

I'm in manufacturing, so you're only getting my take. I don't know what you publish, but if you forced me to subscribe to something I don't want, I would be real unhappy. I believe you should either continue the discount or give it to your ees free.

TN HR

This is ludricous. I have a better idea for your President. Tell him/her to build a labor camp co-located within your facility and build a bunkhouse, then require your ees to live on-site as a condition of employment. Charge ee's daily room and board. Then open a company store with clothing and supplies for sale and payroll deduct the inflated cost of items they have to purchase. And people wonder why unions penetrate companies.

Gene

Balloonman1

I am sorry to hear that the president of your company is a dumb a$$.......must make work very challenging.

I like that force them to buy something you make....lol

My $0.02 worth....
The Balloonman

HRinGA

Obviously, some of you have not had your morning coffee. I would like to hear a constructive response. I did not ask if you thought he was a dumb-a$$, or to equate the request with some type of concentration camp. (now go drink your coffee)
I personally don't think it will fly. I don't like forcing employees to sign up for something they don't want. Not an easy pill to swallow. I really wanted to know if anyone practices this and if so, how's it going?

TN HR

I just drank some espresso, so look out! No, we don't do it and I have never heard of a company that requires it's employees to purchase the product they make. It would be demoralizing, and would serve no purpose other than to heavy-hand an employee into something they may or may not like.

Ask your President how he/she plans to handle ee's who refuse? Also, mention to him/her that depending on what you publish (gay porn, as an example), you could also risk a lawsuit of biblical proportions.

To say that I agree with you assesment that it will not fly would be an understatement.

Gene

LivindonSouth

Begging the lady's pardon; but, you DID ask 'what is your take on this'. So, you opened yourself up for whatever might come your way.

HRinGA

Point taken, BUT I still don't see how some of the responses really helped out in any way. Calling him a dumb-a$$ really doesn't offer anything substantial.
So I asked for folks to go drink their coffee and I ended up with some useful comments. Which is the whole point of the posting.

LarryC

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 09-22-05 AT 09:46AM (CST)[/font][br][br]I will bring your attention to a court case in Wisconsin a few years back. It seems that an employee of Miller Brewing Company was spotted in a newspaper picture holding a bottle of Bud Lite and was fired for it. The employee sued and won, relying on Wisconsin law that prohibits discrimination based on the use of a legal product. Check your state laws. Regardless, I certainly wouldn't direct any adverse employment action against any employee that didn't subscribe.

Here in The Land of 10,000 Discrimination Laws, it is illegal to discriminate against an applicant or an employee who uses a legal product. Discriminating against someone because they DON'T use a legal product would seemingly be more prohibitive.

HRinGA

That was the crux of my argument. My first question to him was "what will you do with someone who simply refuses?" You can't force it. I know he thinks employees should support the company they work for, but there are other ways. I have a friend who (she says) is forced to contribute to UW during their annual campaign. She says it is very high pressure to donate and she doesn't want to rock the boat. A lot of employees are very bitter about it. I don't want to go there. Besides, I'm getting ready to kick off our campaign and I'd like it to be successful. Instituting this practice will not bode well.
Thanks for the info. I think I'll share that tidbit of info with him.

marc

If it is really important to the owner/CEO, he could take several actions to get where he wants to be.

Making it a condition of employment would rankle almost everyone. While you don't like that description, many EEs would feel that way about the requirement.

Another option to consider: Start with the cost of one of your discounted publications. During the next raise cycle, let the EEs know that they will be each receiving a subscription to a publication of their choice. Reduce the raise pool by the cost of the publications, then each EE is indirectly paying for the subscription. Overall labor costs stay the same.

TN HR

I like your approach Marc, but indirectly the intent is still there. Fundamentally, this is wrong.

System

Here at M. Lee Smith Publishers, employees are expected to be familiar with our publications that affect their jobs. The company provides them for free to employees, with copies available throughout the building.

I've never thought of this before, but I guess it's like the company providing us with pens and a computer. And reading the newsletters would be on the clock, so you can't require non-exempt employees to read them at home.

Practically speaking, we couldn't charge employees for our publications because they're expensive B2B products and we publish a lot of them. Poor Christy Reeder would have to pay $14,000 for all the newsletters she has to read. x:o

If it's that important to your prez, he should give everyone free copies at work.

James Sokolowski
HRhero.com

TN HR

James,

Your post infers that MLS newsletters are not affordable. I mean, how many other companies are you aware of that charge $300 for less than 48 sheets of paper distributed over the course of 12 months? It's a bargain if you ask me.

LivindonSouth

You obviously choose to totally ignore the perks and spinoff benefits that go along with membership. They're too numerous to list here, but, where else, for $300, can you interract with the likes of mE and pOrK and have the free, storied wisdom of the GBoys, Geno and G3? You talk about a bargain!!

TN HR

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 09-22-05 AT 02:36PM (CST)[/font][br][br]The G-Boys, I like that. Picture this:

G3 and Geno sporting Adidas suits and Kangol hats. Coming to a record store near you, white gangsta rap duo G-Boys with their new hit single "G-Strings, Girls and Ganja". From the album "Gin and Guice".

LivindonSouth

I have seen G3's photo on his website and that image will never fly. Can you come up with a respectable, Buddy Holly concept? Pocket protector, pompadour and pin-stripes?

Parabeaglex2

Although we appreciate our employee's patronage, in no way, shape or form do we require them to stay at our hotels while they are traveling or on vacation. We offer a significant discount if they choose to, but we do not have a chuckling, mealy-mouthed, mean-spirited, little accounting troll at Home Office who counts out the number of our employees who have stayed at our properties during the past year.

Oh, wait. We do. She occupies the office next to mine. Nevermind. x;-)

Seriously, though. Your president must have lost touch with reality two rest stops ago to think that this plan has any merit whatsoever.

Gillian3

I have a few extra reams of paper that I would be happy to sell to you for less than several hundred dollars a ream. Let me know how to ship it but I would like the $$ first since you are not an established customer.

TN HR

Is this a lame attempt to sell me rolling papers, G3? You gangsta rappers are all the same. Got any blunts?

Gillian3

You will have to help me with Kangol hats, ganja and blunts. I live in a bubble.

POPEYE

Having spent numerous years in the Retail industry, I can only imagine how it would have been received if we had insisted that our EEs only bought their items (that we carried)from us.
I really think you would have a big morale issue on your hands.

Dutch2

Sort of, kind of similar here. Our business is banking and we require all ee's be paid via direct deposit. Our President/CEO and a few assorted Board members just do not understand why not all of our ee's do their banking business (read in payroll direct deposits) with us. I had to present the Reg's to them, some years back, that stated we can pay eveyone via direct deposit, but we cannot force them to do business with a specific financial institution.
Good luck...

LivindonSouth

I would think the reason people in one bank choose to do their business elsewhere is because of the gossip factor in banks. Am I close?

Dutch2

A few years back you would have probably hit the nail on the head. Now-a-days we have blocks installed in the network that prevent ee's from pulling up other ee's personal accounts. Most all of our ee's do bank with us, but there are still a few hold outs...

Hunter1

Especially in your area of the country, if you were in the tobacco industry, would your Pres demand that all employees smoke? At a discount? Might do interesting things to your health plan over time.

We don't even demand that our employees live in our community and pay taxes. (With some managerial exceptions)

E Wart

Obviously it is nice if each employee supports what you do/make. However, I don't feel you should force them to do so. I think your President is looking for "measured loyality". However, this can be demonstrated in other ways than just purchasing the product.
What about talking with your President to see if he would provide each employee with a 6 month free subscription. Then it could be 50% after this if they want it. This way employees may find that they like the publication and continue it. Also, it will help them see what they work towards/for and may encourage them to continue the subscription. Also, your President needs to keep in mind that even though someone works there, they may not enjoy the subject or maybe they can't read. (I know I have really cut down on my subscriptions because I find I just don't have the time to enjoy them anymore. )
E Wart

LivindonSouth

I think that's a bit much. Why not just put out a stack of them in the lobby or break area? If people want one, they can take one. If the company has to rely (even to a minute degree) on employee's purchasing its product, it's not very viable. I think it's absolutely ridiculous to expect people to buy a product.

jennifer jo

I'm really lucky on this one! Since I work in mental health, employees must seek services elsewhere, as to see someone here would create a dual relationship and thus, an ethical dilemma. Lucky me!

LivindonSouth

Me too! We machine and assemble high dollar bronze and brass solonoid valves and similar products that go in everything from coffee dispensers to soda fountains to space shuttles to airliners. None of our employees run on valves. But more than a few have walked out the door and become hash pipes probably.