The numbers tell a story, don’t ignore them.
There was a disabled person working there. She was joyous, full of energy and the customers loved her…
She had been with the company for a long time but then the company moved premises and the new place had the office upstairs and the showroom downstairs. They shoved a desk in the corner or the sales floor, isolated from the rest of the upstairs office.
The executive didn’t want to keep her on. They felt she was too slow moving up and down the stairs and the additional cost of making the place disable friendly would be too high.
The Company decided they wanted a younger man to work the phones instead of her.
I did a cost benefit analysis and recommended that a rework of the premises would definitely cost in the short-term but long term they were better off given her solid sales history.
My recommendations were rejected. They decided to make her redundant instead. I terminated my relationship with this organization as this was blatant discrimination.
Only 2 weeks after she left, half her customers left with her. This company no longer exists.
The Story was in the numbers
Having an eye for detail, I can tell at a distance when things are not running at optimum. I’ll poke about, I’ll investigate, I’ll make recommendations but I won’t sacrifice people. I won’t compromise on my principles.
I won’t say yes because that’s what everyone wants.