Issue #36

In this issue:

• Creating Family-Like Loyalty
• Whys Cracks
• The Buzz
• WhysNews Archive

Word to the Whys

The family is the nucleus of civilization.
William J. Durant

The family unit plays a critical role in our society and in the training of the generation to come.
Sandra Day O'Connor

Other things may change us, but we start and end with family.
Anthony Brandt - Harvard University Professor and Author

You hear a lot of dialogue on the death of the American family. Families aren't dying. They're merging into big conglomerates.
Erma Bombeck

He that raises a large family does, indeed, while he lives to observe them, stand a broader mark for sorrow; but then he stands a broader mark for pleasure too.
Benjamin Franklin

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.
Jane Howard - Teacher, Author, Philosopher

The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.
Thomas Jefferson

Sometimes it's hard to tell if something is actually a memory, or you just dreamed it. So I asked my boss if I called him a lying, stinking thief, or if I just dreamed it. He said I just dreamed it. Whew, that was close!
Jack Handey - Author of Deep Thoughts

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Creating Family-like Loyalty
By Creating a Family

As the middle of five children, I vividly remember dinner hour in the Chester home during the sixties, seventies, and early eighties. My dad sat at one end of the table, my mom at the other, and my four sisters and I wedged-in along the seats on both sides. There was little room to sprawl and proper table manners were strictly enforced, but the chow was usually pretty good, except for the twice-a-week leftover surprise casserole.

We didn't go out but once or twice a year and Mom rarely ordered take-out. Nonetheless, family dinner hour was a ritual that was sacred, and with very rare exception, seven people clasped hands to unite voices in the meal's blessing. Cleaning your plate was mandatory, no phone calls were made or accepted during dinner, and my father wouldn't excuse anyone from the table until everyone had finished. At 17, I didn't know that anyone else in the world did dinner any other way.

In today's fragmented society, it's hard to find a family that follows a consistent traditional dinner routine. From "you do your thing and I'll do mine" to "grab something out of fridge and nuke it" to "flip on the game, I've got a pizza on its way," family dinner hour has gone the way of the Sunday afternoon drive (another ritual that was very much a part of my upbringing).

I've long stated that those things a kid grows up with are either accepted or rejected in later life, but what they grow up without becomes EXTREMELY important to them. Understandably, Gen Whys are searching for strong, unshakable, and committed families of which they can become a part. Buca Di Beppo has rolled out their welcome mat.

Employees of Buca Di Beppo, the Minnesota-based national chain of Italian eateries refer to each other as family. Now many companies like to think of themselves as family, but at Buca Di Beppo, it goes beyond syntax; it's a commitment. Buca employees eat free at Buca - regardless of title or position - from dishwasher to CEO. And they are not simply instructed to order a value-priced menu item and take it into the backroom.

Are you sitting down?

An hour before the restaurants open their doors to the public, the 'Buca family' sits down and takes in a meal in true family style. They eat the good stuff and they do it on nice linens and they dine together. Free. (You don't charge family, do you?) Employees are invited to bring a spouse to the restaurant, and they are welcomed to come in even on their days off. Further, employees aren't even limited to dining at their own restaurant; they can go to any of the 97 locations open nationwide and join their extended family.

Imagine the loyalty Buca Di Beppo's employee family feels towards their restaurants, to management, and to each other. No wonder they make their paid dinner guests feel so welcome into their 'homes.' No wonder employee turnover at Buca is far below industry average. No wonder Buca di Beppo is growing so fast and is so profitable. Family takes care of family. Friends come and go, business relationships fade, but a family stands the test of time.

At Buca Di Beppo, family not only describes the style of how their tasty food is served; it's how they value and act toward those who prepare it, bring it to your table, and clean up after you leave.

Thinking about trying to steal away a member of the Buca Di Beppo family? I've got one word for you...

Fugettaboudit!

Whys Takeaway Idea

Want to reduce costly turnover and get heart and soul buy-in from your Gen Whys? Become the family your front liners never had and welcome them with open arms. Even though when you were their age, you had to pay your dues and be a star to draw attention from management, show your front liners that you value them from day one.

1. Provide frequent interaction among coworkers. Let them bond with one another, and give them an opportunity to interact with management when business is not the primary focus.
2. Look to integrate the concept of 'free.' Buca's program would be far less effective if employees had to pay half-price for their meals or employees could only dine on days when they work a full shift. Although it may seem costly, a no strings attached policy can pay multiple dividends in the long run by attaching strings to employee loyalty.
3. Remember, the way you treat your front liners will be mirrored in the way they treat your customers. If you want them to provide a 'we're glad you're here!' customer service experience - give them a 'we're glad you're here!' employment experience.

This is just one of the many terrific ideas and stories that will be shared in my new book Getting Them to Give a Damn - How to Get Your Front Line to Care About Your Bottom Line (Dearborn, 2005) to be released nationwide this spring. Let me tell your story and share the great things that you and your company are doing to get buy-in from your front line staff! If you do, you'll receive a free autographed book!

It's extremely easy to participate. Visit this link for details. Hurry: the deadline is approaching! Don't be left out of this projected bestseller!

Whys Cracks

IN THE FRIENDLY SPIRIT OF THE GAMES - Arriving spectators at the Olympics in Athens, Greece are finding they have to follow as many rules as the athletes. No carrying bombs, guns or knives. No oversized banners, umbrellas or excess pocket change. No Pepsi, unless the label is removed, since Coke is an official sponsor. And there are rules against wearing clothing "bearing the insignia of competitors of the sponsors." The so-called "clean venue policy" rules "protect official sponsors who have paid millions to make the Olympics happen," said an Olympic spokesman. (London Times, AFP)
Somewhere in the heavens, Zeus is looking down, and he's preparing to hurl a few lighting bolts...

The Buzz

What are THEY Saying?

What do your colleagues have to say about LIVE Generation Why Presentations?

"Our management team is already finding creative ways to implement the ideas generated from the Generation Why presentation and subsequent workshop."

~John Spano, HR Director, Muvico Theaters, Inc.