Class act

So, answer me this: If you paid someone a lot less than you were supposed to, then sent them the missing money via wire transfer, would you think it was a good idea to charge this someone for the cost of said transfer?

The cost? $5.00.

Really.

You know, since I've been covering HR issues for eons now, I keep up on management trends. Lately, I've read a lot about how organizations have begun to worry about employee retention and the looming labor shortage. In spite of this, day in, day out I hear about (or get to experience personally) the gross stupidity of managers who don't think--or care--about what their actions signal to their employees.

Yesterday, for example, I heard about a group of managers in a huge corporation who decided to stop reimbursing employees in their department who have cable modem computer access at home. The key: This was not a financial decision--the organization had the money. The rationale? The managers didn't want to have to make the hard decisions necessary to develop a policy for such reimbursements, so they took the easy way out. The reimbursement policy? NOBODY GETS REIMBURSED.

The people with cable modems used to be reimbursed for this access because they needed to log in to the company's computers remotely, either when they were on call or when a colleague needed help with a project they've worked on.

So what do you think the people who used to get reimbursed are thinking right now?

A. "What a savvy group of managers! Talk about streamlined policy-setting!!'
B. "What lazy sons-o'-bitches! As soon as the economy picks up/I'm vested/something better comes along, I'm outta here....."
C. "I'm going back to dialup. If they complain about how long it takes for me to respond to their overnight 'emergencies,' I'll tell them to go stuff themselves."

Or?

I dunno. People deserve more than pettiness and lack of regard. People who make you money deserve even more.

Don't they? (Or is my naivete showing?)

I'm outta here myself. We're taking a week's vacation (anyone saying, "From what?" is no longer my friend), since Linda took next week off (we were supposed to go out to California for a business/pleasure trip, but there's no time/money for that now....besides, with all the seismic activity out there, I'm rather grateful to be homebound).

May be checking in, but I don't know--I only have dialup where I'm going, after all....