Here’s a hypothetical situation: You’re out one night, and in a casual conversation with a stranger, you’re asked about the company you work for. How would you respond?
Would you politely tell the person that you had already put in an 8-hour day, and since you were out on your own time, you would prefer not to discuss work? Would you give the question a quick two or three-word answer and move on to discuss how great the menu at Treva was?
Or would you grab the opportunity to educate the stranger about your company, possibly even describing some of the products or services you sell and how they could benefit him?
When Bank of America asked its employees recently to help maintain the cleanliness of its ATMs during after-work hours, many ethical questions were raised in the national media. Opposition to what was called the “ATM Project” spoke out with arguments that ranged from: companies should ask employees to volunteer for civic projects, not company projects to companies threw loyalty out the window when they started laying off employees to subsidize outrageous salaries for their top management.
The arguments all made some sense to me. If a company the size of Bank of America (which recently merged with NationsBank) didn’t have to pay for the upkeep of its ATMs, what would be next? General Motors solicits new car buyers to add a little to their bill to donate toward employee wages?
But then it occurred to me, when I take the opportunity to tout my company’s wares on my own time, aren’t I doing the same thing that Bank of America asked of its employees—without being formally asked? And would I hesitate for a moment not grabbing that chance to educate a potential reader on the product for which I write?
As a company owner, chances are you can’t legally ask your employees to wave the company flag — or do company work — on their own time. (California regulators opposed Bank of America’s request.) But as an employee, helping to bring in business at any opportunity I’m given only helps to ensure that tomorrow I’m still working for a strong company. And I don’t see much of a difference between selling SBN to a new reader I meet at dinner or picking up some deposit slips outside the bank I work for. Maybe where Bank of America went wrong was in even having to ask at all.
Connie Swenson ([email protected]) is editor of SBN Akron.