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In his end-of-year message to his employees, Wayfair CEO Niraj Shah has ignited a storm of criticism after encouraging employees to embrace extended work hours and seamlessly integrate work and personal life.
QUESTION: Do you agree or disagree with his message?
Talk about it….
15 comments
Let’s save money so I can get wealthier. Nowhere in his e-mail does he say he will share the savings with his employees, and reward them for their frugal and hard work. After reading an e-mail like that, as soon as I get home, I’d be working on my resume.
Very much agreed. Hopefully Wayfair employees will say enough is enough.
This company is bleeding major cash from reports that I have read. I don’t expect it to last past 2024.
When I was in the Navy, work and personal life were thoroughly integrated. After I got out, work was work, and home was home. And whatever the problem was, I promise to care tomorrow.
Your deal with the military is something that is transparent and will be honored when you sign up. Three years gets you free tuition at a college or university, five years gets you free healthcare for life, etc. Today’s military is a great deal, particularly for those needing or seeking more structure in their life.
The corporate world’s focus is making a profit off of you. You need to consistently bring in more revenue each year than what it costs the company to have you on the payroll. The instant you are a net negative then you will be replaced by someone willing to work harder or faster for less pay.
CEO should have followed up by saying, “At least you have a job here,” and hand down the 80+ hour work weeks.
Maybe he’s just bringing the working conditions of his home country to America.
His parents are from India. He was born in Massachusetts.
Work smarter not harder. Studies show that productivity goes down beyond 50 hours a week. If you make that work then it is time readjust the schedules and deliveries. If sales aren’t good it’s more like because your customers don’t have the money like they used to. Get real.
Is there something wrong with doing both?
if only they sold swedish meatballs…
🙂
What a poorly written statement. His employees are not going to be inclined to work harder after being accused of being lazy, told they need to work more hours and to figure out their own ways to mesh their work and personal lives.
What he should have done is thanked them profusely for their hard work which brought the company back to profitability. He should have given them some token of appreciation – an extra day of PTO for 2024 or a small cash bonus. Then he could have told them that the company is still facing headwinds and it will take all of us working harder, putting in some extra hours, being as careful with company money as we are with our own, to make 2024 a profitable year. As a sign of everyone being in this together and everyone needing to put forth their best effort, he should announce a company profit-sharing plan for 2024. If certain company goals are met, employees will be rewarded with a share of the profits. Don’t just berate your employees. Give them a reason to go all in for you. He’s not wrong that hard work is essential for success, but he’s not going to get what he wants unless he’s willing to make his employees feel that they share in the company’s success..
Work is a 4-letter word to Millennials!!!
I don’t know much about Wayfair or this CEO, but in general I also believe that there is nothing wrong with working hard at your job, no matter what you do for a living. This will serve you well in the long run. Be the best you can be – at work, at play, and in your relationships with others. (sorry – I guess I’m old-fashioned…).
People with a good work ethic usually do not need reminders of being more productive at their places of employment. Spend a day at a Fortune 500 company and you’ll see why they are successful. They usually place people in leadership roles due to their ability to motivate others and knowledge of their job and not because they are a box checker. The entitled ones don’t last very long and are weeded out early on if they even make it past several interviews. There is a great story of a Google employee who had over 10 interviews and was still never hired.
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