This is just one more example of the ongoing decline in humanity in the workplace.

Reminds me of a CFO, years ago, who was presiding over an employee meeting at which yet another round of layoffs was announced.

During the Q&A period, an employee raised his hand and asked, "When is this company going to put people ahead of money?"

The answer: "Never."

Of course, for a CFO, the answer is correct. If a for-profit company ever put anything ahead of profitability, it would eventually close its doors and everybody would be out of a job. But the way he said it is hilariously insensitive, although it wasn't very funny at the time.

As a freelancer, I wear pajamas to work everyday. I once forgot and wore my house slippers to a client meeting... I fear the coming video/skype phone calls when I will have to don real clothes to talk to clients. At least from the waist up!

Ok, I've figured this thing out now. I read your blog postings BEFORE putting my makeup on. Ergo, no mascara running down my cheeks when I laugh like crazy.

Seriously, Steve, you make a very valid point about corporate insensitivity and poor communications.

Ron:

You're right . . . it's the right answer, presented in a horrific way. And isn't that what WE are here for? The realities of business are harsh. But the way those realities are communicated don't have to be.

I don't mean sugarcoating or soft-touching the truth. Employees, unlike Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men, can HANDLE the truth. The problem is, we don't tell them the truth for a long time, and then dump it on them at the very last minute, when they can't do anything about it except clean out their lockers.

Suzanne:

>>>>I will have to don real clothes to talk to clients. At least from the waist up!

The idea of you in your Italian villa, conducting conference calls only half dressed, probably sipping a prosecco while you have a Bistecca Alla Fiorentina on the grill, is almost too much to take.

Donna: I enjoyed that "Eight things you don't know about me" item on your blog. Nice photo!!!!

Steve C.

I blogged about this on myragan and wrote about the greatest point of irony in this story: "There's nothing that says, 'Welcome to unemployment' like sending employees packing already in their pajamas.'"

But the greater point: I will never buy a Dell computer again.

Dell let them go without even the shirts on their backs. Literally.

Eileen - you make an excellent point that I very much agree with. That is, these companies who out-source, off-shore, re-structure etc. do so because of money, i.e. they believe that the cost-reductions that result from these actions will financially benefit their business by reducing prices or increasing productivity (personally I've never quite understood how you figure cutting your workforce in half could POSSIBLY increase productivity, but whatever).

The best way to demonstrate to these companies that they are wrong in this belief, is to be knowledgeable as consumers, and, as much as possible (you can't always know) do not purchase products from companies who behave in this callous manner.

Steve, dead on with the whole "employees can handle the truth" issue. So many corporations spend all their communication efforts bending and massaging the message and in the end employees just want to know what the hell their boss or the CEO is trying to say.

My previous boss handled the news that our company was being acquired by telling us we could lose our jobs as soon as she found out, encouraging us to update our resumes at work and to schedule job interviews if we so wished. She even advised me on my resume and salary negotiations with my current employer.

Now more than ever, business is all about people. And she understood that more than anyone. Btw, we did not have a pajama day at our office.

Oh great, now the a-hole plant manager is coming to T-Town . . . tell him to stay away; we have plenty of his type here already. Come to think of it, we probably have our share of pajama-fetishist-pocket-pooling perverts too.

>>>> pajama-fetishist-pocket-pooling perverts

Can you make me a button with that on it?

Steve C.

When I saw Eileen's post, I had to look the story up in the local newspaper. The comments are great. One person sarcastically pointed out that Dell missed a great opportunity in humiliating their employees. If they really wanted to stick it to them, they should have fired them on "bring your kids to work day."

Steve---so let it be written, so let it be done! (plus I have a Cubbies promo thing to send you from when we started broadcasting WGN here on Click! Network in Tacoma)....

As I live next door to The Hague, I have a good mind to amble on over to the War Crimes Tribunal and file some charges over this atrocity. That's the only sane, non-violent response I can come up with.

Mike Klein
Delft, NL

Good idea, Mike. I can't wait to hear the report. I'm sure The Hague will be as outraged as we are. What I'm truly stunned about is that no one in PR - assuming that they knew, which is doubtful - spoke up to say how DUMB and potentially reputation reputation damaging this was. I'm stunned that no one in HR (although almost nothing that HR does stuns me anymore) spoke up to say how DUMB and potentially litigation inducing this was. I can only assume Dell is so badly organized that they decided to do this with no PR, internal comms, or HR involvement. And of course, no involvement from anyone with basic common sense and common decency. - Amy

Don't mean to be callous, but the sad fact is that most Americans (consumers worldwide?) for the most part are ignorant of or indifferent to how a company is treating its employees or how it's operating. Quite frankly, give me a laptop that works fast, doesn't crash and doesn't require a second mortgage, and I'll buy it. Consider, too, the mass corporate purchases.

The fact that a customer service call center with a bad dress policy was shut down will not have an impact on me until I have a problem with the computer and want to get service. Then I'm going to curse up a blue streak for an hour and half while I'm listening to crappy music on hold. Then I'm going to let the poor customer service intern hear all the brilliant criticism laced with quippy insults I've dreamed up in that hour and half to express my dissatisfaction and explain the problem. And then I'm going to fume after I've hung up because I've just learned that they don't know their own product and can't help.

I'll learn that I have to buy a new laptop, and at THAT moment, I'll decide to buy from someone else, not because the company was stupid and insensitive with its employees, but because they were stupid and insensitive with me, the customer.

On the other hand, they will have gotten my initial thousands on the purchase of the product in the first place, plus peripherals and software upgrades. And in a couple years, if the company shows great profit from having produced and sold this product, Wall Street will applaud the company AND its cost-cutting measures (i.e. letting employees go regardless of their wardrobe). Investors will pour more money into the company because it's a good investment promising great return, and will not likely ever question or care that the company closed a call center on Pajama Day.

Sad to say, but I think that's the reality.

Where were the communications experts when this decision was made? They probably didn’t have anyone responsible for communications for a call center with 220 employees. This real-life story reminds me of the Office (the original British series) when the staff are told the office will be closed down the same day as their annual party. It always makes me giggle, but it’s an uncomfortable too-close-to-home giggle.

Thanks for the laugh!