Mission: Educated workforce?

Dear Bob …

Many years ago at an IT company I worked for, it had a mission statement that read…blah, blah…by maintaining a well educated work force…blah, bah. Our 5500 employee company fell on some slow times. I had planned on taking a class in the fall that the company agreed to pay previously. When I went to get them to sign off to pay for the course they refused, saying that the company was on hard times (paraphrasing of course).

I went and printed out the mission statement, highlighted the part about maintaining the educated work force. I talked to our director and assn’t director till I was blue in the face to get them to pay. This was back when I was younger, single and had more gonads to do that kind of thing.

I think they admired my audacity. I never did get them to pay for it. My point – at my place the budget runs the mission statement. Kind of like mariage vows of until death do us part, unless we have financial troubles first.

– Mission driven

Dear Driven …

Without having seen the company’s financial statements I can’t know one way or another, but it is possible you’re being a bit harsh in your assessment. With all the best of intentions, companies still have to operate within the bounds of fiscal responsibility. Sometimes that means legitimate belt-tightening.

And sometimes, of course, it means using the budget as an excuse for being hypocritical.

One thing that does strike me: From your account, it appears your recollection of the Mission Statement is that the only item of substance in it was the educated workforce piece. Just my opinion: No company ever has “educated workforce” as part of its mission. Missions are about what the company exists to do. Maintaining an educated workforce might be, and often is, a very important aspect of how the company plans to achieve its mission, but that’s a different matter entirely.

So I’m willing to bet the entire Mission Statement was severely lacking in meaning from start to finish.

– Bob