06th Apr 2008
Sharing the OCD
Yes, it is from page 6 of the New York Post, which I, regretfully, read, but I thought this was sort of a classic case of a boss having an (untreated) mental illness that had a great effect on everyone. This is supposedly text from an email sent from the head of Prada to all corporate employees at the 51st street offices:
Desk and work surfaces should be clean and uncluttered. Pictures, calendars, etc. should not be taped to cubicle/office walls. Pets may not be brought to the corporate office or the store. For corporate employees, all coats should be hung in the appropriate coatroom and not kept in offices or hung over cubicle walls. Window shades should be even (either completely up or completely down) throughout one side of the floor. Items may not be placed on the window sills … In addition, it is important to take a break from your workday and enjoy your lunch. Therefore, absent extenuating circumstances, lunch may not be eaten at your desk.” The memo ends with a warning that violators “may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.”
Some requests seem semi-all right. Some requests seem pretty wacky to me, but then I lack style, especially Prada style. I especially like the threat at the end.
I would have been sooooooooooooo fired!
This one really baffled me: Window shades should be even (either completely up or completely down) throughout one side of the floor. WHY??!!!
If you can control what is on the wall, and where people stash their coats, why not extend that order to the blinds (regardless of their usability and functionality up or down)? I’m not sure mental illness has to make sense per se; this particular variety seems to be about control and order of superficial things (while I venture a guess that other aspects of life at Prada are totally out-of-control).
Why didn’t HR see this email first? This is Prada, right - not a mom-and-pop? Shouldn’t there be some kind of protocol for deciding and implementing new office policies? Especially if violations will result in things like termination?
Surely, no medium to large company wants a manager issuing edicts forbidding whatever they want (e.g. “No more blonds; dye your hair! No bills in your wallet larger than a $5!”). It opens them up to lawsuits. In this case, the person with OCD has a problem, but the real problem as I see it is a lack of checks and balances.
HR is pretty powerless in many companies, particularly if the leadership is tyrannical…. While you might think HR is on the employees’ side, fairly often it is there to enforce the policies of management.
I think HR should be on the company’s side. And a tyrannical or irrational manager (assuming it’s just one “bad apple” and not everyone in management) is not in the company’s best interest. Then again, I have seen some outrageous managers be allowed to wreak havoc for months and years. Unfortunately, HR doesn’t seem to have much to say about it *until* there is a lawsuit.
How silly!
Call me crazy, but seeing the crazy quilt of window blinds, tchochke and half-dead plants in Federal office buildings, I have a warm spot for this memo.
I’m just speculating, but I think many companies, and this may be one of them, have existed under crazy leadership for decades and that’s the only way they know how to operate. People just accept that the blinds are up or down and not in between.
@Scott….I wouldn’t go with crazy. Clearly you have some company in the blinds and plants arena. I think at a place where style is sold, they feel they need to extend style to all aspects…or you’re fired! And I’m now thinking to when my dad worked for HHS and to the dead plants.
this is just so wrong, on so many levels. if Prada didn’t exist at all I am sure the world would still revolve on its axis.
I’m imagining a scenario where the sun is glaring in on my computer screen and I can’t do a damn thing about it because today is the day the manager has decreed all window shades shall be up.
wow. I would have probably pushed this person to their limits and then offered to take them to lunch to pick their brain. It’s always good to know who you are dealing with. I wouldn’t want to upset this person, but if everyone had an understanding that this is what they need to be able to do their job, then I might be inclined to cooperate
Also, I am a little frazzled whenI work in a disorganized and cluttered environment, but there has to be a happy medium; I don’t want to have to wear shades because everyones blinds are up -I’m sure that is not allowed either! I would love to see the court case on getting fired for breaking these rules. Are these kind of punishments even allowed for these so called rules?