Home Depot Receives Indian Giver of the Year Award

Its the holiday season, a time when employers grace their employees with free luncheons, dinners, parties and if you're lucky, a nice bonus check. It's a great time of year for employers to say "thank you" for a job well done during the year that was.


I remember at my last job I got a nice case of wine! Nothing says thank you like bottles and bottles of wine. At my current job we had a holiday party complete with open bar and a live band. I also received a nice bonus to boot. It not only makes me feel appreciated but it makes me want to be a better employee and I look forward to 2007 with enthusiasm and great anticipation.

I realized last night that others don't have it so easy. One of my greatest and bestest friends, who I shall call Emily Green for these purposes, shared with me what her employer bought her as a way to say thanks for a great year.

Emily works for EXPO Design Center, a subsidiary of The Home Depot. By all accounts, EXPO is a fabulous place but I was shocked to learn that Home Depot employees received a 20 percent-off discount at Home Depot as its holiday gift to employees.

So basically CEO Bob Nardelli turned his employee gifts into a present for himself and the entire Home Depot franchise! What a crock of shit! I told Emily last night that it would be one thing if he tacked on the 20 percent off "gift" onto some other present like the jelly of the month club but no such luck.

The ironic part is that while perusing the Home Depot website, I discovered Home Depot sure does like to boast its record of community service. You guys have sure donated a lot of time and money to help others! This is commendable but Mr. Nardelli, what about your employees? What have you done to inspire them? What have you done to encourage them? What have you done to express your appreciation for their hard work?

Now I realize Nardelli can't fly his thousands of employees to Hawaii like Oprah did but its all about priorities. It is clear to me that he cares little about his foot soldiers. It is something I would expect out of a city government for the love of God but not a growing household name like Home Depot. Heck, my hometown in Texas has three Home Depots! Not bad for a population of 90,000.

The Home Depot's overarching business strategy is simple: "Throughout the Company’s many businesses and in each community it serves, Nardelli is committed to fulfilling The Home Depot’s core purpose: Improve Everything We Touch."

I suggest to Nardelli that next year he put a little more heart and soul into rewarding the folks who help him improve everything they touch day in and day out. In turn, his employees will be happy and appreciated and will end up giving back to him in the long run anyway.

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This will probably be my last post until 2007. Merry Christmas to all and let's defy gravity in 2007 like never before!