Zappos Offers New Employees $1,000 to Quit Their Jobs
July 30th, 2008
- Zappos is an online shoe retailer (www.zappos.com), with sales this year expected to reach an astronomical $1 billion dollars. How do they do it? Zappos delivers an exceptional online experience and superior customer service. They offer free delivery and free returns—if you don’t like the shoes, you box them up and send them back to Zappos at no charge.
- More than 1,600 employees are at the reins of providing this great service, answering the phones and talking to customers for hours at a time. It’s a tedious task and one that requires exceptional energy and motivation.
- The executives at Zappos understand that to continue to have sales increases, they have to hire the right people while reducing costly turnover.
- They also realize that working at Zappos is not suited for everybody. As a result, after the first week of an extensive four week training period, Zappos says to its newest employees, “If you quit today, we will pay you for the amount of time you’ve worked, plus we will offer you a $1,000 bonus.”
- Why does Zappos do this? The company learns early on which new employees have the commitment and motivation for the job; who’s a good fit and who isn’t. If you’re willing to accept the company’s offer, then you’re not a fit for the job.
