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You can say this about new Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer: she’s a hell of a lot better at starting a job than ending one.
According to a report in The San Francisco Chronicle, Mayer told her Google colleagues that she was headed out the door for the CEO job at Yahoo a mere 30 minutes before the Yahoo board announced the news publicly.
At the very least, it was bad form. At the worst, it was demoralizing for Google employees to see one of their most powerful and beloved executives run out the door.
While her exit from Google may have been less than graceful, she’s been doing everything in her power to get in the good graces of her employees at Yahoo!
Mayer understood from her Google days that major perks are greatly appreciated by employees and serve as great motivators. She began by offering free food. Now, she’s put into effect the "Yahoo! Smart Phones, Smart Fun!" program, in which every employee will be getting the latest smartphone of their choice, including the Apple 5, for free. Notably absent from the list of phones is the Blackberry.
To put it mildly, the move has been well received.
While few companies have the financial wherewithal to provide free phones and service to every employee, there are dozens of small ways companies can show their love for the people who make the place run. Summer hours, free snacks, birthday cakes, company outings and company-sponsored teams all create goodwill and loyalty.
We’d love to hear some of the creative things your company is doing to put a smile on every face. Let us know.
Follow Jon Gelberg: @Jon_Gelberg