How To Make A Microserf Smile

While Google was turning heads with its employee perks, an unlikely manager took on morale in Redmond

BusinessWeek, September 10, 2007 — Steven A. Ballmer had an epic morale problem on his hands. Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT ) stock had been drifting sideways for years, and Google envy was rampant on the Redmond (Wash.) campus. The chronically delayed Windows Vista was irking the Microserfs and blackening their outlook. So was the perception that their company was flabby, middle-aged, and unhip

How Surveying Workers Can Pay Off†

Companies Are Finding Engaged Employees Become More Motivated

Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2007 — Houston KFC restaurant manager Joanthan McDaniel surveys his staff of about 20 every three months. Earlier this year, workers complained about their hours — some felt they worked too many, others too few. As a result, he now talks with them more often about scheduling.

Yahoo lives and breathes purple

cNet News, May 15, 2007 — Yahoo blankets its campus in its trademark color purple and encourages employees to wear Yahoo-branded gear to work in its efforts to build its brand, according to Cammie Dunaway, chief marketing officer at the search and portal company. Yahoo offers contests for the most dedicated evangelist among its 13,000 global employees, she said during the keynote speech at the Liquid Agency Brand Summit 2007 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Palo Alto, Calif., Tuesday morning.

Employees a Critical Link to Brand Innovation†

Round Table: Top Execs Discuss Hot-Button Issues Central to CMO Viability

Advertising Age, May 7, 2007 — On a Monday evening in late April, the night before the Association of National Advertisers' first Brand Innovation Forum, four marketing executives gathered for a private dinner at Django, a French-Mediterranean restaurant in the shadow of Grand Central Terminal in New York. Their hosts for the evening: ANA President-CEO Bob Liodice and Advertising Age Editor Jonah Bloom and CMO Strategy Editor Jennifer Rooney. What drew Clorox VP-Marketing, Laundry and Home Care Tarang Amin, Wells Fargo Senior VP-Brand Strategy Katy Frohling, JetBlue VP-Sales and Marketing Andrea Spiegel and Home Depot Senior VP-CMO Roger Adams to the restaurant was less — we'd like to think — the lure of aged New York strip, beet salad and stuffed squid and more the invitation to... continue reading

For New Chief, BP’s Problems Range From Rusted Pipes to a Tarnished Image

New York Times, May 4, 2007 — Tony Hayward’s honeymoon is likely to be quite brief. Mr. Hayward, the newly named chief executive of BP, had been settling in for a smooth transition, traveling around the world to meet with employees and government officials as he prepared to take over the top spot at the London-based oil company in August. But he was hastily moved into the top job on Tuesday after John Browne quit in the midst of revelations about his personal life that had prompted him to lie to a court.

Lessons in motivating the staff†

Financial Times, March 20, 2007 — JC Penney is one of the grand names of US retailing, tracing its history back to 1902 when James Cash Penney opened its first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming. But as the 20th century was winding down, it looked a little as if JC Penney might go the same way. In 1999, together with other retailing stalwarts, its stores were facing the rising challenge of Wal-Mart and Target, the mass discounters.

User-generated video for the corporate crowd

Springwise Newsletter, March 15, 2007 — MeatTeam.tv helps companies develop an internal TV network. Like a

corporate version of YouTube, videos can be used to reinforce company

culture or share best practices.

Hotels Train Employees to Think Fast

USA Today, November 29, 2006 — At a recent management-training session for Choice Hotels, trainer John Thompson had participants guess how many drops of water would fit on a nickel

American Express, Credit Suisse Bridge the Brand Gap

Inside 1to1, November 20, 2006 — One theme that emerged at the Conference Board's annual Marketing Conference earlier this month was the importance of a consistent brand experience, not only for customers, but for employees as well.

House Training: Now, Employees Get Brand Boost†

Wall Street Journal, January 18, 2005 — While the effort is mainly intended to dazzle consumers, a chunk of the budget has been earmarked for an internal campaign to turn Masterfoods' 35,000 employees into better ambassadors for the brand, which the company says generates about $3 billion in annual global retail sales.