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How do I get management of my small company to see how low morale is and do something about it?

Anonymous — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:35:06 -0800

My company's management is driving us into the ground with their poor project ideas, and morale is really low. How do I get them to see what they're doing and hopefully make changes? I work for a small (~30 people) tech firm based near a large city on the east coast. It's somewhat difficult to classify what we do, but basically if any company needs tech staff, we can provide it. We have good relations with a large telecom and most of our people are placed there. We also had a contract for a development project with the company, but that fell through recently during budget cuts on their end. Now that that contract is gone, we don't have any projects coming up. It's not all that surprising, then, that morale in the company is pretty low. We're also down around ten people from two years ago, and there hasn't been any indication that they want to start hiring again.

Part of the problem is our management. My boss gets these half-baked ideas, has us follow them for awhile, and then ends the project when it fails. The ideas he comes up with are fairly absurd and most of us roll our eyes at them, but we keep going with it because he pays us, and there's always the odd chance that one of them might actually work. They seem to be against venturing beyond this one telecom, which seems like a pretty ridiculous thing to do. A brief explanation of management: our company is "run" by our CEO, who is the daughter of the guy who really runs the show. The latter is who I refer to as my boss. She has stated several times that she would like to see the company go down a certain path, but it's pretty clear that she takes her marching orders from her father.

It's pretty amazing to me that management can't see how their business plan is destroying the company, and how we're all aware of that and how it drives down morale. And if they do see it, they're turning a blind eye to it for some reason. But I can't stand it anymore. When I started at the company, they welcomed me with open arms and made me feel like I was part of the family - and that's all gone now. I have ideas for projects that are considerably less ridiculous than what my boss conjures up, but I don't get responses to my emails.

So my question is: how do I bring all of these issues about the company to management's attention, and maybe make them do something? It's clearly rude and out of line to sit down with my boss and say, "Hey, your ideas are running us into the ground; why not try something new?" but I can't come up with anything else. Our CEO is marginally more approachable than her father, and I've thought about trying to sit down with her and try to get her to see things from our perspective, but I would think that to be really out of line. I don't really know the business side of things, so I'm not in a position of authority there. Has anyone else dealt with this sort of thing? Are there ways to appoach the subject?

Oh, and I don't want to leave the company. I'm part of a very capable team, and I like everyone in the company. I'm also somewhat cautious of starting a new job, with the economy still doing poorly. If I start new now and the new company goes belly up or they need to downsize, I'd be the first one out - and I don't have a lot of cash saved up.

What is the best company formation agent to use in the UK?

samengland — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:34:22 -0800

What is the best company formation agent to use in the UK to form a limited company? How can I tell if a company formation agent is reliable and trustworthy and are there any reviews of them available? I would also prefer an "all in one solution" that includes a registered office too. I would like to have a solution that includes a registered office and maintenance of statutory books and the annual return.

Creative Innovative Socially-Good Companies

divabat — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:46:03 -0800

Which companies and organisations are big on innovation, creativity, doing good, and support flexible work styles and ethics? I'm jobhunting at the moment and I've found that the company culture and industries they work in are just as important - if not more so - than the specific job role. I'd be happy to work in any role in those sort of companies (so long as I have enough skills); however, I'm finding it hard to find job searches that let you define the industry/style of the hiring company.

I'm after companies and organisations that put value on creativity, innovation, doing social good, flexibility, ideas, and ethical practice (they don't have to be super-strong in all those aspects, one or two main ones would do). At the moment I'm not worried about location - I may have to move internationally anyway, and travel is a huge bonus.

I have skills in arts and events management, cross-cultural communication & integration, general administration, strategy & policy, dealing with young people, research, idea generation, performance and presentation, writing & editorial, and working with the web - but I'm willing to learn new skills or work in something basic and entry-level if it's with the right company.

Some ideas of companies that look interesting:

Google (I'd LOVE to work for them but they seem to only be hiring tech engineers - and I know naught about software engineering)
BrainStore
WhatIf Innovation
GOOD Magazine
Up with People (I've volunteered with them and they have one of the best office cultures I've ever seen)
United Nations (though I've heard that they can be frustratingly bureaucratic)

Which other companies/organisations can I add to the list? How do I find more companies/organisations that fit my needs?

Is it really illegal for a company to act ethically?

divabat — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:20:30 -0800

"[Companies] have a legal responsibility to make their shareholders lots of money, which means they *MUST* rip you off for as much as they can get away with." Really? I've heard that sentiment many times (the above is a direct quotation) and it doesn't make sense to me. According to Carrotmob, "It's illegal for a corporation to behave in a socially responsible way -- unless that socially responsible behavior happens to be identical to the behavior that maximizes profit."

Proponents of the above argue that if a company shows "record profits", that's a sign that they've been ripping off customers. According to them, companies only think about their shareholders and the Board, and therefore must make as much money as possible regardless of ethics.

Is this true? Is it really illegal for companies to act ethically unless it makes money?

To me, it seems that if the above sentiments were true, social enterprises would not be able to exist. Also, it would make Corporate Social Responsibility illegal.

When shares are bought in a company, they are traded away very quickly, and aren't share prices usually determined in large part by the public perception of the company? Surely shareholders and Boards would notice if the customers are being ripped off or if the companies are acting unethically, and respond negatively to unethical corporate behaviour?

It seems to me that these notions come from the idea that "for-profit" = "evil bad conglomerate", but I can't seem to find any actual legal or economic basis for saying that companies must be unethical to profit.

Is there actually any basis to those points? Is it really illegal for a company to act ethically?

UK Ltd. company formation

nthdegx — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:34:25 -0800

Why would I pay an accountant £300 for UK limited company formation when there are services out there that do it for a tenth of the price? Help me cross the i's and dot the t's. Obviously, I'd rather spend no more than necessary, but that's secondary to making sure the process is completed properly. Any other insights are welcome.

What is a good title for my job?

names are hard — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 18:28:32 -0800

What is a good job title for my position? I just started working at a tech startup. Probably if we were being totally honest, my title would be 'intern,' but the founders have kindly agreed to let me pick my title (within reason) so it looks good on my resume. Plus, I really do do a lot, as it is just a 4 person company.

What is a good title for me? I write content for the site, participate in general business decisions, attend funding meetings, manage our outsourced employees, set up financial management systems, and research competitors, etc.

Would Lead Project Manager be appropriate? Product manager? Program manager? Something else?

What do the mefites think? I know a lot of you are in tech. What do you usually call that person who does 'all the other stuff' and helps with everything (besides a secretary)?

What is required for "ethics consulting"?

ontic — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 12:49:05 -0800

I hear that sometimes businesses and other institutions hire "ethics consultants". Does anyone know anything about getting into ethics consulting or the actual day-to-day activities in ethics consulting? If not, has anyone seen an ethics consultant in action at a company? I'm a philosopher/ethicist who teaches courses and does research on issues in theortetical and applied (practical ethics). I'm not planning on quitting my day job as an academic (I like it way too much) but my school allows me to spend a certain percentage of my time consulting.

My experience learning about and teaching business ethics makes me comfortable enough with business, business plans, business practices, and "talking business" that I wouldn't be the typical idealistic academic flailing in the real world. But even given all this, I'm not sure what ethics consulting requires to get started and what most companies would want from such a consultant. Is not having a background in law a major liability, for instance? Do businesses ever want anything more than typical CYA-type policy suggestions?

Where can I find a partner for my business?

jbb7 — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 14:35:17 -0800

Where can I find a partner to help me build a business based on a Web service? I'm 18, I'm not going to be in college for at least a year, and I can fund the venture for 6+ months out-of-pocket. But the programming is far too much work for just one person. The business is the kind that requires a few servers, some programming, and some marketing--it doesn't require much money to bootstrap.

I've been working very hard on it since the end of November, but if I continued working alone, it'd take until mid-July or later until I even had a working prototype. I firmly believe in the idea, but I just don't see myself being able to do all of the work alone. (Though I have the technical skills, it's just too much work.)

None of my friends are tech people, and nobody at my high school does much programming. I've also searched for 2 months through acquaintances, to no avail.

So, how can I find other people to help me who are of a similar age and whom I live near? Does anyone have any experience starting a business like this with a partner who wasn't already a friend? Should I look for an employee rather than a partner (i.e., pay a salary instead of share a stake in the business)? Should I cast a wide net and look to team up with somebody who lives somewhere else in the U.S. ? (I'm in Chicago.) Has anyone had experience starting a Web-based business with someone whom they haven't even met in person?

Footnote: I realize the whole teen-starts-Web-business thing is a cliché, and this thing could totally crash and burn. I'm more interested in advice relating to my search for a partner--but don't worry, I have no irrational illusions that this business will bring incredible success. I only know that it's a fun project and a good learning experience.

Footnote 2: I applied to Paul Graham's Y Combinator Summer Founders' Program, but they turned me down (and my having no partner was likely a big part of their reason).

Repercussions of an offer for a famous public company by an unkown one?

Izzmeister — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 08:19:22 -0800

What are the repercussions of an offer for a famous public company by an unknown one? I am looking to take a small publicly traded company, and aquiring another public company (or at least making an offer on it) which is trading on a larger exchange.

I am looking for more information on how such an offer would be looked upon the the general market?

if the company I am interested in is undervalued, and I bring to the table with my all stock offer a compelling story what I feel I can do to create more value for the shareholders of that company, do I have a shot?

And how would the media look at such a tender offer? And if it did not succeed, how would it affect my company and its publicity? negatively?

I'm thinging along the lines of, hypotetically, issung an offer for "JetBlue Airways", with a premium over the current price per share payable in my own companie's stock, with a compelling reason as to how I was going to make the company more money...

For example...

"We feel that the JetBlue name, which is mentally associated with a pleasant, economical, experience, could be leveraged into other industries, such as Insurance. Often times, people are fed up with their Insurance Agents and feel like they are getting "ripped off" (no offense to insurance agents on MF!)...

"therefore, we propose such extension of the JetBlue Brand... JetBlue Insurance Agency will be synonomous with all the "feel good" vibes associated with JetBlue Airways, and we feel would immediately capture a large market share in the Insurance Industry.

Cross Promotion opportunities also abound in inflight advertising..."

I am curious as to what the reaction to such an offer, and its potential repercussions (both positive and negative) to my company.

If it fails, as many offers do, would my company still benefit from the publicity? Would I get a serious response from the company or media?

Thanks for the brain pickin'!

How do I market what my small company does?

yaquina27 — Sat, 27 Nov 2004 11:01:01 -0800

I own a very small company, and I feel that my product is the best in its category. If I can just get my message to the masses, my company will be a success (otherwise I'll have to go back to work for "the man"). What's the best way to ge the message out? I realize that everyone is advertising-averse, and I don't want to consider anything that might irritate people.

Moving Companies

grrarrgh00 — Sat, 17 Jul 2004 10:58:28 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good moving company for moving a one-bedroom apartment (let's say 400 cubic ft. of stuff to move) and a four-door car from Florida to California?

Home Furnishings

jasonspaceman — Fri, 23 Jan 2004 07:45:24 -0800

I'm looking for a furniture store/company to help furnish a house we will be buying. [more inside] The wife and I like the simplistic/minimalist/functional look, yet we still want it to be family friendly. Ikea is not located anywhere near me, but it is within enough driving distance to rent a uhaul to get whatever we needed (and of course to visit the showroom). Can anyone recommend any other decent stores/companies that would fit our criteria. Catalogs, informative websites and shipping ability are pluses.

Name My Company!

oissubke — Fri, 09 Jan 2004 21:50:20 -0800

I've been trying to come up with a company name for six months now, and have thus far failed. I need your help! [more inside] Our current name was a temporary one, and after a year of operation, it's time to shake it off and get a real name. I've been postponing getting business cards too long.

I've got some basic criteria worked out, so at least it's not just a free for all, but for the life of me I can't seem to find a name that just seems right. Nothing's clicked yet.

So, if you've got some brilliant ideas that you don't think you'll use yourself, you'd make me a very happy guy!

Overview: It's a web design and development firm, working primarily with setting up low-end content management systems (highly customized MovableType, etc.), and designing clean, CSS-based websites.

Here are the criteria I've worked out so far. The name should be:

Non-descriptive: I've had a lot of people advise me that the name should describe the business, but then my own observations tell me that the best brand names (e.g., Yahoo, Google, etc.) aren't necessarily the most descriptive (e.g., Infoseek, LookSmart, etc.)
Easy to spell
Easy to pronounce
Not a completely fabricated word, though it could be a modified play on an existing word.
Not be overly specific (while clean design and content management are our bread and butter, we offer several other services as well).
Explainable with a straight face. While names like "Ted," "Virgin," "Tickle," "Gargoyle," etc. may be excellent names for some companies, I'd personally have a hard time using one as my own firm's name without being embarassed. Many of my clients are quite serious, and the whimsy wouldn't go over well.
Plain English words are good.
Names that evoke a sense of history or nostalgia are good. I've found many names I liked among presidential surnames, county names, scientists, authors, etc. (though nothing quite right)
The name should be sufficiently uncommon that I could register a .com domain name (though I expect I'll have to use an addendum like "...consulting.com" or "...design.com"
It doesn't have to be a perfect name, just a good one that feels right. I don't need a name to make my business successful, I just need one that won't hold my business back (either in practice or just in my head)

Sorry to have rambled on so much. Any suggestions you could make would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!