Zappos
Tony Hsieh’s article Why I Sold Zappos reveals just a fraction of how much he has learned in guiding his company, Zappos, from near-bankruptcy to a recent acquisition by Amazon. I think I’d like to read his book, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose since I hope to run a business a decade from now. Check out this quote from the article, just mixed in with everything else:
… Zappos’s policy of paying new employees $2,000 to quit if they’re unhappy with their jobs.
When I read this, I actually said aloud: “How can that work?” It sounds like it would make employees want to leave. Then, I thought about it: it does make employees want to leave! If Zappos isn’t a good fit for someone, this money kickstarts their aspirations to find a job that is a better fit. They’re not wallowing in employment inertia, poisoning the workplace environment because they hate their job. Thus, the former employee leaves happy, and Zappos gets to find another person to fill the position. However, the money says something to the employee up front: we want to make you happy to work here. After all, Zappos can’t be hiring someone each month, then paying $2000 “severance”. Interesting.