6th April 2011
An organisation is not an ATM Machine!
Every company's greatest assets are its customers', because without customers there is not company.
Michael Leboeuf
I was addressing a group of employees of a leading MNC. I asked them if they are happy about their salary. As expected very few hands went up. During the entire day, they were lamenting about the poor pay cheque they are getting. I was told that the Union is about to call a strike. I asked them as to why they are dissatisfied about their pay. Unanimously all of them said that that their needs and wants are not met with the salary they are getting.
I made one point clear to them: an organisation is not am ATM Machine!
I told them that whenever we want money, we go the ATM machine and draw the money. But we cannot do this with an organisation. An organisation is not established to meet the expectations of the employees. It is established to meet the expectations of the customers! Of course, an organisation is expected to take reasonable care of the employees' interests. But it is only after the organisation has taken care of the interest of the customers!
I asked them to consider the following equations with reference to the organisation, the employees and the customers:
- Me minus my organisation: What will happen if lose my job in the company? Such a situation, will it affect me or my organisation?
- My organisation minus me: If I leave the organisation, who will be the loser, me or my organisation?
- My organisation minus the customers: If the customers decide not to place the orders with my organisation, will the organisation survive?
- Our customers minus our organisation: Will happen if our organisation stop producing the products and services? Who will suffer – the organisation or the customers?
Perhaps, we have to deeply think about the above equations and audit the criticality of our position in the context of the customers and the product they require! Then we can decide if we are under paid or over paid.
N C Sridharan
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