At WorkersCount we are watching an interesting debate.
We have been watching the recent marketplace (and worker) reaction to the latest Harris Poll of RQ (reputation quotient). This is just one of many external/internal brand reputation "rankings" and index reports.
Here are their “winners” in the top segment of large brands:
At first blush, it's obviously a great line-up of brands:
Apple
Coca-Cola
Amazon
Kraft
Disney
Johnson & Johnson
Whole Foods
Microsoft
UPS
We know that many members of our WorkersCount community work for these great brands. How do you feel about this blended external-internal "reputation" score or index?
Is it just marketing hype or is there something deeper there?
Some of the heated discussions across twitter, Facebook and the many dozens of blogs we've been reading are about “who beat whom” and more school-yard, trash-talking friendly competition in nature.
On the other hand, many of them are very serious, focusing on PR blunders, product gaffes and product superiority, social responsibility and community engagement wins etc. Things that should "matter" to customers, workers and stockholders.
This includes topics that involve brand esteem or brand damage due to worker issues. These include the highly-charged issues around labor abuses here and abroad (read: “Foxconn” etc).
Some brands don’t seem to take a big hit in the overall brand reputation even though many workers seem to be reporting in blog posts and tweets that “all is not well” inside the beast. And if workers are happy and satisfied, but their companies are committing grave sins, what is that all about? And should workers at all levels care? And how can they take direct action to reward companies that do well, and hold accountable ones that do not do well?
Does your company walk their talk?
When you look at another company (in comparison to your current one) as you consider a move, what factors are most important in your decision process?
The match between the corporate-speak and their actual behavior externally and internally
Their real life labor and community practices abroad and at home
The day-to-day experience you can expect to have right here right now
Your expected experience in your working group, with your peers and boss at work every day
The way your company’s product is respected (or not so much) by the general consumer public and the “brand” ratings and rankings
How do these things impact your well-being and satisfaction at work today, relating to your current company?
Do they impact you a lot, or not so much? Are you just to busy to worry about your company’s ethical practices abroad and in labor matters?
Do you have any visibility into your company’s practices?
Does you company proactively share with you their values, practices and guiding ethical foundation for their business practices? Is there a document?
If there is such a policy, is it common thinking that the company adheres to it, or is this just a PR check-box that the exec team must check-off? Real or fluff? Is this "owned" at the executive level? The board level?
Talk about it right here. Right now. Every day.
This is what we want to invite our community to debate here at WorkersCount. Check-in daily and come back often to see what's trending and what your peers are saying.
By sharing what matters to you we can enable the broad population of workers (at many levels) to make their voices heard and impact the way companies behave.
If your company walks their talk, then we want to help you trumpet that. If your company needs to be reminded to walk their talk, then we want to help them become more accountable, and to do better.
Your voice counts.
What do you think?
Comment here or on our Facebook page