Category Archives: Daily Scribble

My random thoughts of the day.

Daily Scribble

How to demoralize your employees

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My company just make a perfect demonstration on how to demoralize your employees. The economy is bad, everywhere is cutting jobs or costs, our company is the same. However, there are two ways of cost cutting, the smart way or the stupid way. Other than usual cost reduction deals like cut down the travel budget, lay off some employees and box Kleenex, the CEO just inform us there are two unusual cuts. The first cut is the company RRSP contribution, the retire fund, which roughly equal to 5% of pay cut. This one is understandable, we are unhappy about it, but doesn’t cause too much grief. The second cut is like dropping a fire ball into the crowd.

According to BC law, employees who got laid off get about 1 month per year of employment in severance package. It is quite expensive for the company to lay off anyone here. The CEO want us sign a new contract, limiting the severance to 2 weeks per year and capped at 6 months total. The new contract is so far so good if it is given enough incentive. However, the only benefit for signing the new contract is we are allow to keep our stock options, which is worthless anyways. Anyone with a right mind will not sign the contract. You forfeit half of your severance package for virtually nothing!

The new contract on its own is just plain stupid, but the CEO’s Q&A session make it out-outrageous. It is obvious we will ask why should we sign such as stupid contract. The CEO replied that the cost of doing business is too high in Canada. He threaten us that too expensive to lay people off will make the company stop having further investment in Canada. He pull up some statistic citing it is really too expensive. If we read the number, the Canada is about the same as other developed countries, like UK, Germany, France, Japan, the only exception is US. The most outrageous part is that the CEO present it in such a way that if we sign the contract, we will have better job security, but it doesn’t make sense at all. How can you get more job security by making the company easier to lay you off?

I think his threat is just a bluff. The investment decision won’t affect by whether or not we all sign the new contract. The new hire has to sign the new contracts. US is cheaper to lay people off, but more expensive to hire. Most employee in our Silicon Valley office is already laid off. Our cost is still too high comparing to India or China even if we sign the new contract If we are really too expensive, the jobs will go to India or China regardless whether we sign the new contract. Signing the new contract will only the cut happen sooner than later, if the cut is inevitable.

If the company really want us to sign the new contract, they should give us some incentive, say a buy out of $1000 per year of employment. Treating us like idiots and try to use an empty threat to make us sign the new contract really hurt the moral in the company. I guess the lost of productivity is already more expensive than the saving they could even get from the new contract.

Daily Scribble

The ah-ha moment

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The joy of teaching is witnessing the ah-ha moment. Today I went to the public library to study in the afternoon I usually prefer booth seats since it is more quiet. But all the booths are full today, so I have to share a the big table with two high school students. They were studying chemistry and struggling to understand what is a solution. They discuss with each other trying to find out what the textbook says but obviously they are clueless. I am a bit annoyed by their noise as it is quite distracting. I am also a bit annoyed by their stupidity. How come they could not figure out such a simple concept. I could have shh them or ask them to keep quiet.

On a second thought, all I said to them would be one line anyways, why don’t I just explain what is a solution so they can move on to finish their homework. I told them, “A solution is, if there is a solid and there is a liquid. If you put the solid into the liquid and the solid disappear. The liquid is a solution.” Upon the kid hear my explanation, I can see from his facial expression he finally understand the concept and hear the “ah-ha” sound. After I dealt with the distraction, I felt good and continue on my study. Teaching is not only about the passing on of knowledge, it is also about deriving satisfaction from teaching. Seeing the ability of my words to enlighten another mind, really gives me a sense of satisfaction.

Daily Scribble

Fake proof personality test

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Have you take any personality test? Have you fake any personality test?

We have done many personality tests in school or at work. Those tests are a useful diagnosis tool to know our personality. Armed with the personality data, the school or company can predict our performance in different scenario or form teams members who works well with each other. Most of those tests, such as Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or Enneatypes, rely on questionnaire to determine with personality type we belongs to. The questionnaire assume you will answer the questions honestly, choose the answer truly reflect your mind. However, we all know how easy to fake the answers. If you are interviewing for a marketing position and the HR give you a MBTI tests. It is very natural to steer your answers to end up being an extrovert, the character type that the HR is looking for.

Old fashion pen and paper personality tests are not very useful, because it is too easy to fake the answer. I have a great idea to create a form of personality test. Other than answering multiple choice questions, a person’s eating behavior can reveal a lot about his personality. Maybe I should devise a new personality test base on what happen on the dining table. Instead of handing out questionnaire to the interviewee, the HR can invite all the interviewees for dinner. Then they can analyze traits of personality type of the interviewees from video tapping the dinner. Actually in business world, many important decisions are made over dining table. If you want to forge a long term relationship with a new business partner, you will know the real him outside of the meeting room. If I create the dining behavior personality test, I can open a consulting firm and offer lucrative personality analysis service. When you dine out with someone, you probably already have a rough idea on what type the person is. My service will give you an objective 3rd party report to double check your intuition. Now, the only obstacle between me and my multimillion dollars personalty test business is my cliche personality test.

Daily Scribble

Obama is in, what’s next?

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Today I watched Obama’s inaugural on the news. Washington is very crowded. According to the news, there are two million people witness the ceremony. It is a historical moment to the Americans. Many people compare Obama to John F. Kennedy. When JFK was elected US president in 1961, he is the Catholic president. In 2008, Obama becomes the first black president. Both of them breaks White Ango-Saxon Protestant male’s monopoly claim to the presidency. We already got a Catholic, a black, what’s next? It is just a matter of time before will be a female president. Hilary Clinton almost become the first female president if she didn’t lose to Obama. After a female president, the next one on the line is probably a gay president. There are gay governor already. It may take sometime before the American consider voting for a gay president. By that time, probably computer is so advance that we have AI smarter than people. If the American willing to vote for a gay, they must as well vote for a robot. Having a robot president is more defining historical moment than having a black president. On a second thought, why don’t we call the robot president Skynet.

Daily Scribble

Box Kleenex is gone, what’s next?

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In a recession market, it is understandable for a company trying its best to cut its budget in order to stay afloat. However, cutting the supply of box Kleenex to the employees is way too cheap. Not only the box Kleenex won’t save the company much money, it also send the wrong signal to the employee. There is a fine line between financial conservative and simply stingy, cutting the box Kleenex definitely had crossed the line.

Now box Kleenex is gone, what’s next? I am pretty sure the company is seriously considering cutting the toilet paper. Maybe that’s why they send us to India, prepare us for a paperless toilet. Instead of having toilet paper in the toilet, they will put a small bucket in each stall like in the Indian office. After you done your business, you can fill up the bucket with water and then use it to clean your bottom. Then maybe they will cut the utensils in cafeteria. Why waste money on plastic forks or money to wash the metal forks. We can eat with our hands too! The only thing that you have to remember is the left hand is the toilet hand, the right hand is the eating hand. Don’t mix up!