Conference 7.286::digital

1958.0. "Cost control" by POBOX::RAHEJA () Tue Jun 23 1992 10:05

  Psssst!!!
  
  Hey you..yeah you!  Wanna get in on this game.  It's really simple!!
  
  It's called the $2 game.  See, the way I reckon..all these high faluting 
  VP's and the rest keep talking about how we gotta control costs and raise 
  revenu and do this and do that.
  
  All of it sounds pretty complicated to me..so,like most of you, I just 
  tune 'em out.  I mean, what am I gonna be able to do about the cost 
  problem.  Right??
  
  But then I got to thinkin one day (yeah, once in a while I get into that 
  stuff) and I figured that there are about 30,000 of us in US field (give 
  or take the latest round of folks let go).
  
  Now, if everyone of us were to donate $2 a day, that would mean $60,000 a 
  day.
  In a week, it would be $300,000. And in a year, it would be $15,600,000.
  Now that's a lot of big bucks. And all from just $2 a day.  I like this 
  formula because I can relate to $2 day.  Now, what if we were to donate $5 
  a day.  That takes the number for the day to $150,000, the number for the 
  week to $750,000 and the number for the year to $39,000,000...that's 
  right, $39 million.  At $10 a day, it's $78 million.  Now, I know that as 
  soon as some of these high finance types look at these numbers, they're 
  gonna say that this won't work and it don't fit no stinkin business model 
  that they made up and all that....but hey, that's what my little 
  calculator on my watch sez.
  
  Now, if the average person costs us $100,00 a year, with just $2 a day, 
  that would be 156 people that wouldn't be runnin around looking for a job.  
  With $5 day, that would be 390 folks and with $10 a day it would be 780 
  people.  You get the idea ( or as the folks from the tower say..idear!!).
  
  OK, I unnerstan that you and me ain't gonna be walking into work every day 
  and putting our $10 into a little bucket.  I mean, that's my lunch money 
  (and if you knew me, you know I ain't gonna give up my food!).  But, what 
  we could do is not spend that much of the company's money everyday.  You 
  know, like taking a customer to a little less expensive place, like not 
  using the car phone that much, like not having that last "refreshment" 
  while out with a customer, like walking the 4 blocks instead of taking a 
  cab (it's good for you too!!), like not  printing all your mail, like not 
  sending stuff FEDEX cause you know it's just gonna sit there when it gets 
  there, like filling up the gas tank when you return the rental car, like 
  finding a little cheaper airfare and hotel.....you get the idea.  Sounds 
  pretty simple...what's the big deal about all this cost control bu!!.
  
  I dunno...maybe I don't unnerstan all this high finance stuff but I figure 
  that $78 million is a lot of money for just $10 bucks a day.  And if I 
  save $50 on Monday, I don't have to worry about it for the rest of the 
  week.
  
  If you think this could work, figure out a way to save the $10 and pass on 
  this memo...you know, like a chain letter...just add any ideas you may 
  have to help others figure out their $10.  But remember, it cost money to 
  send mail and to read it...so delete all the forwards when you send it 
  (it'll also save paper for those who print all their e-mail--now that's an 
  oxymoron!!).  So maybe you wanna post it in some notes file somewhere 
  also.  But just get the word out.
  
  And hey...mebbe the way I reckon, we can prove all these folks from the 
  tower wrong and really mess up all their business models and have more of 
  us around for all the fun we're gonna have when we start kickin some bu## 
  out there in the market.
  
  Dalip

    That looks *great* on paper ... but unfortunately, there are a LOT of
    folks in DEC that think they are grossly underpaid now !  But if things
    keep going, we'll all be drawing unemployment and REALLY knowing what
    it's like to be underpaid ...
    
    Jerry

The other problem is that many people have been doing what you suggest for 
several years. This started in October 87. My travel in almost non-existant,
there are very few lunches and only at moderate prices and there are almost no
other areas to save. The office has cut out many other expences, no post-it
notes, no hanging file folders, dirt cheap pads of paper, the air and heat are
turned off in the evenings and weekends (you got to *really* want to work off- 
hours).

What you suggest is a good idea, the problem is that it has already been done
and apparently the savings generated have been squandered.

They moved our office automation system to Chicago so they could save
the rent on the space. Problem is no-one bothered to ask the landlord if he
was willing to take the space back (not much demand for basement offices). So 
most of the money we had saved was spent moving a cluster that had no savings.