What Does Your Invisible Footprint Look Like?

 

I googled my current employer — which I’ll call “ABC”— and was “surprised” to find a number of entries that gave the company negative reviews.

I already knew that turnover is 100% in many divisions within the company.  I already knew that employees in my division are not feeling appreciated or acknowledged. 

I didn’t know that these feelings were shared throughout the company.  I didn’t know that the Better Business Bureau gave the company a C-, due to the number of employee and customer complaints.

 

Let me share with you some of the reviews that are out there…

One person stated that:

“Intimidation and fear are the management styles for this company.  They have absolutely no consideration for their employees, and management takes lack of professionalism to a whole new level.

I quit a much better position for an opportunity with ABC, as I was hoping for something more challenging and rewarding.  The only challenge at ABC was learning to deal with the low level., unprofessional behavior from both staff and management.  Please do your due diligence and ask a lot of questions if considering a position with ABC.  There have been several others who experienced the same with ABC as I have, so please, take this as a warning.”

Another reports:  

“Dark, dingy work area. Communication is poor.  They do not encourage team work; they keep departments "at war" with each other, which is not conducive to helping a company grow.  Management does not appear to have any training and keeps more of a "high-school gossip" atmosphere.  They ask for the best in their field; however, they do not allow for people to demonstrate their skills.”

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I did find someone who said something positive:

“They provide a fridge and free coffee in the break room.”

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What’s interesting is that ABC is spending lots of money flooding the Internet — trying to brand themselves as a company of integrity and professionalism — while they are being blindsided by this “not-so-invisible” footprint that’s showing up on the Internet. 

And it’s their own doing. Their actions are sabotaging the success of their branding efforts. 

I mentioned these “reviews” to co-workers and supervisors, and asked if anyone in the company — perhaps Marketing, HR, or Top Management — ever google the company’s name to find out what negative press was out there.  If they wanted to grow a healthier company, they may want to find out — if not work on — some of the negative things that are being broadcasted to millions on the Internet.

Everyone seemed to just shrug it off — implying that it’s not surprising that ex-employees would say negative things about the company.  I mentioned the BBB rating, which includes customer complaints — but since the customer complaints weren’t about our specific division, the consensus was that there wasn't anything that "we" should do…

I just find it interesting that the company has this negative reputation imprinted on the Internet — which seems to be only invisible to the company.

So, why do I stay with a company that has such a negative footprint on the Internet?  

It’s because I’ve worked for worse companies in the past — and I’m not the only one.

For example, a new employee was just hired for our division.  I asked her how she liked working here.

She:    “I love it.”

Me:     “Oh, my gosh!  You used the “L” word!”

She:    “Yes, I did.  Compared to the last place I worked, this is great!”

Me:     “So, what you’re saying is, compared to Hell, this ain’t so bad?”

She:    “Yep.”

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Relating Over the Internet

I found myself in an awkward situation the other day.  I met a young man over the Internet, and we were conversing through email for 2 days. 

On the first day, he asked if I wanted a picture of his penis.  

Ummm... No, thank you. 

So, on the second day, he attached four pictures of his penis and asked what I thought.

Among other things, I thought that he placed himself in a very vulnerable position… in more ways than one… 

Ignoring the fact that he wasn’t respecting my wishes and wasn’t taking my feelings into consideration, he just sent a stranger compromising pictures of himself that could easily be used against him.  He has no idea what I would do with them.  Such private photos can have negative future effects for him in the hands of an unscrupulous or vindictive person. 

I also thought this young man was being rude, immature, insensitive, and thoughtless.  He opened both of us up to an embarrassing and hurtful situation.  No matter how I respond to this, feelings will be hurt. 

Since I had no idea how to respond to these unsolicited photos, I simply ignored them.  I hoped that this snapshot in time would soon evaporate into a distant memory and quietly dissolve into some invisible Internet cloud to float far, far away from me.

But that Internet cloud came back as a thunderstorm.

This “gentleman” told me how hurt he was.  He trusted me enough to send very private pictures of himself, and I ignored such a gift. 

I told him that I understood his feelings, and I apologized for not responding in the manner that he wanted.  Hurting his feelings was not my intent.  I felt like I was put in a lose/lose situation.  I just knew that whatever I would’ve said would’ve been wrong.  I just didn't know what he wanted from me.

His response to that was that I have low self-esteem and that I need therapy — professional help.  I'm obviously compensating for something missing in my life and am hiding that fact from myself — so that I don't have to deal with it.  He went on to tell me that he’s been with a couple of women and they never complained…

And that’s pretty much the direction the rest of his response took…

I realize this person is only 26 and has a lot to learn, but I am concerned for him, because I fear that he will be hurt more and more if he follows his current path.  There are consequences to one’s actions.  No matter how much you want to fault others — sooner or later — the consequences of your actions will catch up to you. 

Trust is built over a longer period of time than 2 days.  Using the word “trust” in describing a person you’ve only known from 3 or 4 emails will bring betrayal and hurt with it — and indiscriminately sending compromising pictures to strangers will damage your reputation and credibility.

This person may act differently with those he meets face to face, but I would think that the same consideration, precautions, and respect should be given to anyone you meet — no matter where you meet them. 

Am I wrong?

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Lessons in Distrust

My place of employment has dropped another notch or two on the integrity meter — if that’s possible.

Someone came into my office and stole all my cash out of my wallet.

This is the second time it’s happened. 

The last time they stole my credit card along with all my cash.  They went on a shopping spree with the card, until the credit card company cut them off.

After the first time, nothing much was done, except they gave me a drawer that would lock.

Because I had to get in and out of that drawer all day for pencils, pens, stapler, tape, scissors, etc., I only locked the drawer when I left my office for an extended length of time—e.g., a meeting, a break, etc.  I didn’t stop and lock the drawer every time I left my chair — when someone called me to help them, or when I went to the bathroom, or when my supervisor called me to her office, etc. 

But I’ve learned my lesson.  I guess the saying holds true:  First time, shame on them; second time, shame on me. 

Now, I’ve taken out all the supplies I use during the day, cluttering up my already cluttered desktop, so I can keep that drawer locked at all times.  I’m keeping the door of the office closed, when I’m in my chair and when I’m not in my chair, so people won’t have a clue as to where I am or am not.

It’s sad to say that I’m forced to alter my trusting nature to accommodate my negative and disrespectful work environment — but that’s how it is.  

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