The Fifth P
January 3rd, 2007 by JoeWarning: copy() [function.copy]: Filename cannot be empty in /homepages/23/d161105401/htdocs/pondermarketing/wp-content/plugins/mytube/mytube.php on line 220
Everyone knows about the 4 P’s of marketing (quick, rattle them off - price product promotion place). But there’s a fifth P which really should be part of the list, and that is People. Because the best-laid plans will never get executed (and probably not conceived in the first place) if you don’t have the right people in place.
When you think of People with the big P, the big guns typically come to mind. Steve Jobs, maybe. But the operation needs Indians as well as Chiefs. You know, the people who actually execute the plans and get things done. The rubber that meets the road.
Jump to the news today that Wal-Mart has announced a new plan to utilize a software program to more efficiently staff the stores by scheduling employees’ work hours on a very flexible basis. It’s great news for the company, and in the short run at least, great for the customer. But how about the employees?
Wal-Mart’s reputation for being a great place to work precedes it, what with the union bashing and locking the doors on the night shift to keep them in. This new policy strikes me as maybe slightly demotivational, since the average person likes to have assurance as to work schedule, not to mention weekly income. Stripping employees of that basic safety net can only lead to inciting the ‘ones that can’ to head for the exits.
Things have not exactly been going great for Wal-Mart lately, as the stock chart will attest. Happy, motivated front-line employees could possibly help to reverse this stagnation, but it’s hard to see that happening when the company implements policies to disrupt the lives of employees who don’t make enough money to justify the trouble.
I guess if it comes down to it, they could just lock the doors to keep them in.
Comments (2) | Trackbacks (1) | Permalink
Posted in Valuable People, Marketing |
March 2nd, 2007 at 1:37 pm
To be upfront, I happen to be associated with Asgard Systems, who are publishers of employee scheduling software. We are not the suppliers of Wal-Mart’s employee scheduling software and are unaware of what product they are using.
Even if Wal-Mart (or any employer) used a pencil and paper to produce their employee schedules, they might still implement policies and procedures that could be viewed as promoting their own corporate interests. The promotional literature that we provide regarding our product, does directly address organizational scheduling needs. However, such needs include taking the employees personal life into perspective as well. An example is the priority given to personal conflicting events such as night school, taking care of sick parents, weddings etc. Such issues are promoted at our website (www.asgardsystems.com), in our free trial version and our instructional movies. I am very pleased to say that, most employers express the need of having to contend with the humanistic aspects of managing an organization. Their needs dictate our products design. In the end it really is about how management elects to use any tool that counts.
March 2nd, 2007 at 10:25 pm
Hi Mike,
Thanks for your comment. I agree, intent is everything. It’s interesting that almost simultaneous with Wal-Mart’s announcement was one from Best Buy about an initiative to basically allow employees to schedule their own hours. So at one employer, employees lose every modicum of control over their working hours, while at the other, they gain a remarkable level of control. I’m sure there is enabling software behind both systems, but very different management perspectives on the value of employees.