Conference 7.286::digital

        Did anyone have such a meeting since July 1?	YES
        
        Did DEC pay for the food?			YES
        
        (The group was about 25)

    My God, DEC is offering you a leisurely day of "recreation" and
    your complaining?  I don't know of any other company that does these
    types of Woods Meetings that include recreation on company time.
    
    I suggest you do the honorable thing.  Put in the full day's work
    and quit complaining.  The olf saying has a lot of truth to it:
    
    	DON'T LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH

    I don't want this to sound negative, cause it isn't meant to be.
    Please atleast read the whole thing before responding.
    
    Our profitability had, from the early 80's to the start of last
    year, continued to FALL rather consistently. Our productivity had
    been tending to fall off compared to our competitors. We had been
    overspending and underearning. Were we collapsing? No, but our earnings
    had been perceived as falling further and further behind of where
    they should have been.
    
    Beginning 7/1/85, the company put into place a set of special cost
    controls, along with a LOT of other changes, to try to control the
    growth of expenses while at the same time, continuing to make the
    investments we need to be able to succeed and grow. These controls
    included a VIRTUAL prohibition on retaining outside consultants,
    outside training, non-essential travel (why anyone would approve
    non-essential travel absent the special cost controls is beyond
    me), off-site meetings and so forth.
    
    I believe that these special cost controls (which require VP (??)
    level approval to override) were officially extended at the beginning
    of this fiscal year, not because we're doing poorly but because
    we still have a long way to go in returning our profitability to
    earlier stellar levels ... even though we're on an uptrend now.
    The uptrend doesn't mean we should stop trying. We have to persevere.
    
    From time to time, I (a person without any authority to make such
    a prediction with any ability to make it come true) believe that
    managers will seek out exceptions once in a while, particularly
    once we exceed our long term profitability objectives. But we can't
    be profligate. We have a responsibility to reinvest our profits
    to compete and grow.
    
    Is that any excuse for a manager to call a woods meeting a week
    and expect all employees to kick in for their lunch? No. That would
    be INSENSITIVE TO THE EMPLOYEES own financial health. When I bought
    my first house in MD, my wife and I had no choice but to CONSTANTLY
    brownbag until we paid off the credit cards we had rolled over to
    finance our down payment! A woods meeting can improve morale which
    can lead to our being more effective and productive. But too many
    can cut productivity....
    
    I've been to meetings where we had some food. And some with none,
    not even access to a coffee machine (which is important if you're
    an addict). It also depends on the business justification: if we're
    hosting a customer and the customer meeting is important to getting
    more business and the meal is part of the selling/meeting process,
    then great. But we also have to cut out the process of assuming
    all customer meetings have to include meals, and so forth...
    
    Just some ramblings on a touchy subject at 12:30 in the morning.
    Your question is a good one. What's important is that we retain
    a sense of fairness in our process of controlling expenses .., as
    well as sensitivity to employee personal and financial concerns.
    
    Caio!

    I recently went to a Woods meeting.  It was held at rental property
    belonging to my manager--had we not been there he could have rented
    it.  He also provided the food and did most of the cooking.  As
    far as I know this was all at his expense, except for transportation,
    which we paid for.
        John Sauter

  This off-site meeting is only held once a year, if at all. It was
first held in 1981 with a free full-course luncheon. I don't re-
member if there was one in 1982; in 1983 it was held on-site. In
1984 it was held outside DEC at a recreation center; we had a free\
cookout catered by Tobin's. I realize that such an outing would be
too expensive by today's standards; we are going to a cheaper place
and will do our own 'catering'. What really bothers me is that DEC
is willing to pay the hidden cost of several hundred person-hours of
time off but not the much smaller direct cost of food. 

    re .6:  "DEC is willing to pay the hidden cost of several hundred
    person-hours...but not the much smaller direct cost of food."
    
    First, the cost of most attendees' time is fixed (salaried). So
    there is no marginal (incremental) cost for the time.
    
    Second, the cost of the food comes straight off the bottom line
    (profit) of the corporation.
    
    Third, I don't believe that these meetings result in "lost time"
    for most employees or groups. The time spent is more than repaid
    by increased effectiveness of the group. It is well understood by
    experienced managers that work effectiveness is vastly improved
    in groups that have good relationships among the members. So the
    direct time of a few hours or even a day once a year is more than
    offset by the improved "productivity" by a group that works well
    together.
    
    In these times of the computer business being slow, it sure feels
    good for DEC to be improving its business AND its profitability.
    As competitor after competitor announces business problems, and
    we continue to show improved performance, our stock goes up relative
    to the market. Even better, our reputation as a quality company
    and hence a quality vendor is enhanced. 
    
    So my bottom line is...let's here it for a little prudence in
    controlling our costs!

  The picnic/meeting took place on Fri. Aug. 22 and worked out well.
The "senior staff", comprising about 20% of the group, paid for most
of the food out of their own pockets and the rest was brought in
pot-luck style. As far as I know, the only charge for the picnic
area (in a state park) was $3 per car. 
  The issue has been put to rest as far as I am concerned, but if
another group runs into a similar problem I would like to hear
about it here. I don't think Wall St. gives a damn who pays for the
food at meetings like this, but I realize that DEC not paying for
food is one of several ways the company is trying to save money and
the overall effect is large enough to draw attention on Wall St.