Zappos, the zany internet shoe company that has created a bit of a stir in the press lately, takes seriously the challenge of engaging their Talent with their Ambition (a prime FSW characteristic, by the way!). To achieve their ambition of providing world-beating customer service, they realise that they need to create a distinctive culture.
Despite a careful, and rather unconventional recruitment process, they realise that the Zappos way is not for everyone, so after a few weeks they offer new recruits a $2000 payoff to leave the company. This way, they believe that they will weed out those new recruits that are not committed to the Zapos ’cause’. By the way, in 2008 just three people took the cash.
Talk about putting your money where your mouth is!
Have you got any examples of companies that are REALLY serious about attracting only those people who share their ambition? Do tell us……!
Read more about the Zappos story in a recent Economist article.