Blog Archive
January 2005
A quality management consultant was visiting a small and somewhat antiquated English manufacturing company, to advise on improving general operating efficiency.
A friend of ours called Patrick met Red Adair, the great fire-fighter a few years ago. He was talking at a conference, but after the main event, Patrick got the chance to speak with him one to one. Our friend had a question that he was burning to ask the great man.
I visited a factory in China which makes toys and electronic products. 8,000 female workers come from the depths of China and work for 3 years, six and a half days a week, with two weeks off per year. They live on site, in dormitories, and gain privileges to use the gym, go to the cinema and so on – it’s a small town in its own right.
An unemployed man, desperate to support his family, applies for a janitor’s job at a large firm and easily passes an aptitude test.
The HR manager tells him, “You will be hired at minimum wage of £4.95 an hour. Let me have your e-mail address so that we can get you in the loop. Our system will automatically e-mail you all the forms and advise you when to start and where to report on your first day.”