Quantcast
Subscribe!

 

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

 

E-mail Steve
  • Contact Me

    This form will allow you to send a secure email to Steve
  • Your Name *
  • Your Email *
  • Subject *
  • Message *

free counters

Twitter Feed
« Preparing for the Post-PC era | Main | You're on an interview, no I mean RIGHT NOW you're on an interview »
Tuesday
Apr092013

A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?

What do you do if you are at the office and decide you need a new mouse or a keyboard or a new set of headphones because your cube mates won't stop taking conference calls on  their speaker phones? I'm thinking the kinds of items that are more costly than basic pens and paper office supplies things, but not as big a deal as a new laptop or the latest smartphone. You know the kind of stuff that might run $20 or $40 a pop? Is it hard for you or the average employee to get at that kind of stuff? Is there a formal process? Do you require managerial approval? Is there some functionary in IT that determines if you really need the headphones? Does it matter?

Apparently it's not hard at all if you work at Facebook - check this excerpt from a recent piece at Business Insider - Facebook's Electronics Vending Machines Say A Lot About Its Culture

The Facebook system is different. No person controls the supplies of the small items. For example, they have nice Sennheiser headphones inside this vending machine. Any Facebook employee can simply walk up, swipe his or her ID card, and grab a new pair. There's a nominal price listed, but employees don't see that number debited from their paychecks or anywhere, really, outside of the IT vending machine. For them, it's simply swipe and go. The system trusts them to use their own judgment about what they need.

Seems pretty cool right? Kind of like those Best Buy mobile vending machines you see at airports except in your office or over by the break room and with all the stuff being 'free'. It's not really free, I get that, and there's no doubt in my mind that someone in Facebook IT or procurement receives and monitors the usage rates and dispensation patterns for these kind of supplies.  But the essential idea or the starting assumption is trust - we trust you know what you need to get your job done, we trust that you won't abuse the system, and that placing unnecessary barriers in your way doesn't help anyone.

It is a simple, maybe dumb example and perhaps I'm reading more into it that is warranted. But I think it's a good question anyway.

I'll ask you - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones where you work?

Oh and by the way - quit charging your employees for coffee and cokes. 

PrintView Printer Friendly Version

EmailEmail Article to Friend

References (54)

References allow you to track sources for this article, as well as articles that were written in response to this article.
  • Response
    Response: romance
    Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the internet the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people consider worries that they plainly don't know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well ...
  • Response
    Response: nmMCLUCi
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: xJcZUmEf
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: sMIFSOVM
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: hNgxTxOY
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: celine bags
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: Read Full Report
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    If you appreciate football, you most likely have a favourite team from the National Football League or two and have a list of players who like to have seen.
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: ASOS promo code
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: weebly.com
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: sites
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: webnode.com
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: soup.io
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: relevant web page
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: related web site
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: twitter.com
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: learn here
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: kritika hack
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: kritika hack
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: amazon.com
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: use our plumbers
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: ow.ly
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: chhspanthers.com
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: see this website
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: facebook.com
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Response: Explaindio Review
    Steve's HR Technology - Journal - A simple culture question - How hard is it to get a new pair of headphones?
  • Response
    Przy tak przedefiniowanych pojęciach, jakakolwiek dyskusja

Reader Comments (2)

I love that idea! The posted price reminds the employee that there's a cost to the company, so they're less likely to take advantage, but the fact that it's free shows trust.

At Achievers, where I work, we just request what we need from our managers, and I've never seen a reasonable request turned down. It wouldn't make sense to have a vending machine at a smaller company like ours, but that doesn't mean I don't want one. :)

April 9, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterCari Turley

Thanks Cari for the feedback - I know you folks at Achievers know how to create a great culture - even without the vending machines!

April 11, 2013 | Registered CommenterSteve

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>