Zappos was in the news for paying people to leave. The twist is that they aren’t failing.
Normally, a company that has to downsize offers incentives for employees to leave. The best take the plan, because they don’t want to work for a loser. The company ends up with the people who can’t get hired elsewhere. AKA: the Dregs. The tailspin accelerates. No one can figure out why the company is filled with no-ops because anyone with the business sense to see the problem bailed at the first chance.
But Zappos is growing like a weed and they’re paying $1500 for people to take a hike. (Up from $1000 because too few people were going for the cash.) It works because a good job is worth a lot more than $1500. If you’re happy, you’ll stay put. And if you’re unhappy, they want you gone.
There’s nothing worse than an unhappy coworker hating their job all day, and raining on everyone else’s parade. So good for Zappos for making the world a better place for unhappy and happy people alike.
