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MEMO TO STAFF: PLEASE GET SOME WORK DONE

To: All staff
From: Company president
Subject: Low productivity

It has come to my attention that productivity has dropped
drastically since Friday, June 9th. I'm not sure what's
going on, but please be assured that I'm monitoring the
situation closely and will suspend or terminate employees
who aren't pulling their own weight. For the company to be
successful, it's important for all of us to work hard. We
need to learn from the examples set by the following
managers, whom I'm pleased to recognize.

John Tembo, Human Resources Manager: I was walking past
John's office and heard him and several employees shouting
"Goal! Goal! Goal!" When I knocked on the door, John told me
they were watching a training video to help them achieve
company goals. I have nominated each of them for our
Employee of the Month Award. It's important for all of us to
focus on goals. As John said, "Without goals, our team will
lose."

Carlos Mendez, Sales and Distribution Manager: Carlos called
me on Friday morning to say he was ill and couldn't come to
work. His doctor had diagnosed him with a rare illness
called socceritis. The illness affects patients for at least
a month and there's a chance of relapse every four years. As
you can imagine, I was rather shocked and saddened. I
wondered how we could manage without Carlos for so long.
Perhaps Carlos read my mind, for he immediately put me at
ease. "I'll come to work, boss," he said. "The illness isn't
contagious. I just need to return home to get 90 minutes of
rest a few times a day." What an example Carlos is setting
for all of us. I am nominating him for our Courage and
Inspiration Award.

Ravi Narayanan, Product Design Manager: As of Friday, Ravi
is testing an innovative program he developed called WHFH
(Work Hard From Home). He believes it will not only increase
productivity in his department but also lower costs
considerably, particularly the cost of buying coffee and
doughnuts. Ravi came to work briefly on Tuesday and I
overheard him saying to another manager, "South Korea 2,
Togo 1." I asked him about it and he said, "That's the
number of customers we have in each country." I was
extremely pleased. I didn't realize we had a customer in
Togo. I am nominating Ravi for our Innovative Spirit Award.

Hans Mueller, Advertising Manager: Hans, as you know, is
always looking for new ways to advertise, new ways to reach
potential customers. Since Friday, he has been personally
manning an information booth at the ESPN Sports Bar. I
paid a surprise visit to the bar and heard Hans talking to
an employee about something called "World Cup." He told me
it's an acronym he's using to motivate employees: WORLDCUP
(Working Overtime Results in Less Disappointment and Creates
an Upsurge in Productivity.) I am nominating Hans for the
High Motivation Award.

Ming Yu, Technology Manager: I found Ming coming out of a
bathroom stall with a small battery-operated TV. He said
he's testing a video conferencing system that will enable
employees to continue to work while doing their business. A
few minutes later, I heard Ming telling his assistant how
many customers we have in certain countries. I was proud to
hear all the numbers, but disappointed to realize we have no
customers in America. That's a huge market that
we're missing out on. In any case, I am nominating Ming for
the Bathroom Productivity Award.


                                                        

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