Businesses are slowly but surely waking up to the fact that the behaviour of staff can affect whether people use their services. But here is a cautionary tale, as the skulduggery of other companies’ staff could also do your business a disservice.
Swiss football fans began a nationwide boycott of kebab shops when Turkish footballers went on the rampage after a World Cup qualifier against Switzerland in Istanbul.
On their return journey, the footie fans sent a call out to all their compatriots to stop eating kebabs in protest at the Turkish conduct. So kebab shops are losing custom just because of their national association.
You might be thinking “Shish! That’s a bit unfair!”, but it gets worse. Apparently, 90% of the kebab shops in Switzerland are actually owned by Kurdish people, who are supporters of the Swiss team.
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So you see what damage people can do to your corporate reputation? With this in mind, Guru reckons there’s nothing left to do except go on a heavy drinking session. At least this is virtually guaranteed to end with a kebab, thus showing solidarity with the poor Swiss Kurds.
All HR departments should encourage staff to support the cause and get smashed. This will surely shine through in your company report on CSR.