Fortunately, readers seem to like the concept of BuzzBombs.
Unfortunately Northwest Airlines keeps doing things that warrant an award.
This week, by overwhelming popular demand (measured very scientifically ….. your emails on the subject have clogged up my email box), we once again have to award the brain trust at Northwest Airlines a coveted PlaneBuzz BuzzBomb award.
And just what did Northwest do this time to merit such an honor?
It appears the airline wrote and distributed a little 165 page booklet to employees last week. The booklets were sent to 60 ground workers facing layoffs in Bozeman, Montana, and Austin, TX. Included in that booklet were two pages of “Money-Saving Tips.”
Those tips were also posted on the airline’s employee website.
The two pages of tips were entitled, “101 Ways to Save Money.” Included were such intelligent suggestions as “Brown bag your lunch,” and “Always grocery shop with a list.”
But it also included ideas such as “Don’t be shy about pulling something you like out of the trash,” and “Take a date for a walk along the beach or in the woods.”
Now first of all, if someone is about to be laid off, I doubt they have to worry about “brown-bagging” their lunch.
And if there is no paycheck, I would think shopping for groceries becomes a bit more difficult as well. With or without a list.
But clearly the suggestion that has caused the greatest outcry was the one that employees should, in effect, become dumpster divers.
Northwest’s excuse?
The material was provided by a “third-party vendor.”
I wonder if they actually paid for this stuff, or if some lackey just pulled it off some website somewhere.
“Regrettably, this list, which included some insensitive material, was inadvertently published in this resource guide without being reviewed by Northwest management,” the company said in a statement.
Sorry guys, but that’s just not good enough.
To accompany this particular BuzzBomb, we offer this inspirational graphic. We suggest Northwest have it enlarged and printed by the thousands. They could adorn the walls not only at the company’s headquarters, but each employee lounge as well.
And to think, many moons ago I almost took a job with NWA. I have to admit, I was surprised that their HR people let something like that out the door without looking at it.
My sentiments exactly. What does this say about the importance placed on the project? Whoever was in charge seems to have simply slapped together something and sent it out, with little concern about the ramifications.
As for the “101 tips” these clearly sound like they came from some pre-packaged hints on how to live on $100 a month. I bet you that same list is out there on the web somewhere.
Third party vendor? I doubt they paid a freelance writer to do this. For more than one reason. The biggest being that a freelance writer would know better.