During a recent staff meeting, the Acme Publishing Company president was handed a sheet of paper that had been copied many times. The sheet contained a compilation of employee productivity reports. She read aloud some figures, and when she had read all of them, she dropped the paper onto the table. The employees present felt that they were not worthy of such scrutiny. ‘They wrote those figures on foolscap paper and stuck them on the wall,’ she announced. ‘It’s ridiculous.’ However, the president’s comment was premature. What she failed to consider was the company’s situation at the time the reports were compiled. The company had been struggling with major layoffs, and salary cuts were the order of the day. When the employees had been given their salaries, many had wanted to quit, but they had stayed because they had invested so much in the company. The president’s comment may have been appropriate if the company had paid its employees well, but they did not. Now, however, the company had been able to raise its salaries, and morale had improved. The employees felt that they were no longer working just for survival and were instead committed to the company’s progress. It was in this state of mind that the president responded to the memorandum. She had decided to transfer the company’s focus from cost-cutting to productivity. The employees realized that they were no longer disposable and that the company was willing to invest in them, so they would try harder.

The president’s response to the memo was reasonable. The employees, however, needed to be convinced that the Easy Read course would benefit them. The personnel director had provided statistics that, while impressive, were not applicable to all companies. The Easy Read course did not necessarily increase employees’ productivity. Instead, it taught them how to read faster, which helped them absorb more information in less time. Other companies, however, might have found the results to be quite different. It would depend on how many employees Acme had and what their jobs were. If Acme had a large number of clerical workers and few executives, the Easy Read course would not have helped. On the other hand, there may have been few clerical workers but a large number of engineers, in which case the Easy Read course would have been great for Acme. Even so, the president should be wary of making any change without first evaluating its effect on the employees. She would need to determine whether they would welcome the Easy Read course, how much money it would save the company and what would be the cost to the company’s morale.

The president’s decision should also depend on whether employees would be willing to give up their three weeks of vacation time to attend the Easy Read course. The personnel director had indicated that the course was free, but employees would have to be willing to forego their time off. Moreover, the employees would have to read the newsletter for the rest of their lives. Some employees might have read the newsletter, but they would not have retained any of the information. Others might have resented being asked to read a newsletter that they were unwilling to read. If the employees refused to read Easy Read, the newsletter would be a waste of money for the company. So, before making a decision, the president should survey the employees and ask them whether they would be willing to take the Easy Read course, what they would do with their time if they did not, and whether the newsletter would interest them.

If the employees would not take the Easy Read course or would not read it, then there would be no point in requiring them to take it. In that case, the personnel director’s argument would not be valid. However, the president should consider the potential benefits of the Easy Read course. The employees would be able to absorb more information in less time, and they would have more time for their families. The personnel director had indicated that the company would pay only $500 per employee, but she did not state whether the employees would receive a salary reduction. If Acme were to conclude that the Easy Read course was worth the investment, then the president could require all or some of the employees to take it. Of course, she would have to determine what the employees wanted to do with their time, and she would need to determine how much the company would save with the increased productivity.