Zappos Makes Offers to Ensure Employee Commitment

I'm always looking for innovative practices to share with you and Alison Doyle, About.com's Job Search expert, sent me this story about Zappos. If you're not familiar with Zappos, I have purchased all my shoes from them online for several years. I think the world of their service, their promptness, their return policy, and the quality of their products. Okay, advertisement over. But, the most important point is that to serve this passionate customer in such a positive fashion, the company must be doing the right things for employees.

And it turns out they are: Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit — And You Should Too. William C. Taylor, Fast Company's cofounder, says, "When Zappos hires new employees, it provides a four-week training period that immerses them in the company’s strategy, culture, and obsession with customers. People get paid their full salary during this period." But, approximately two weeks into the training and immersion, employees are offered full pay for time worked plus $1000.00 bonus to leave the company. Zappos' theory is that any employee who accepts the offer was not really committed on the level they expect from their employees and that customers such as me have come to expect, too. I knew they must be doing something right.

On another matter, large numbers of Zappos' 1600 employees hang out on Twitter where they keep up a running engagement with their customers, friends, and colleagues. I'm wondering if Twitter recognition has gone up in recent months among my site visitors.