What are some possible consequences of contacting the CEO of my company?

[RedCOMET]

Don't email the CEO, email the CEO and their assistant. Thats how you get on the CEOs radar.

 

[Papa Hogan]

I think you're right...$16000 might be a little short to merit the CEO's attention. I would contact the regional manager, but I've already been banned from that. Maybe I'll just continue to do excellent work and keep my mouth shut as has been suggested. But my wife worked so hard on this presentation! ...I gotta send it to somebody...maybe a regional manager of a different region.

 

[homebrew2ny]

Thank you again for fitting me into your busy schedule. Mr. CEO

Not a CEO yet, but if and when I get there it will be in no small part because of my adherence, understanding, and respect for workplace protocol. Knowing my place, how to be the best I could be within it, and respecting the importance of proper management and communication.

Just a FYI, I started on the lowest level of employment possible in my company when I began so I am not blowing smoke here. You can disrespect me and my advice with snarky comments but hopefully someday you will understand what I am trying to tell you and succeed yourself.

Be well.

 

[Papa Hogan]

Not a CEO yet, but if and when I get there it will be in no small part because of my adherence, understanding, and respect for workplace protocol. Knowing my place, how to be the best I could be within it, and respecting the importance of proper management and communication.

Just a FYI, I started on the lowest level of employment possible in my company when I began so I am not blowing smoke here. You can disrespect me and my advice with snarky comments but hopefully someday you will understand what I am trying to tell you and succeed yourself.

Be well.

I was messing with you a bit. I'm sure you do great work in your field. I do appreciate your comments and the experience that you've shared. I was just excited about my idea and possibly about going over my managers' heads with it.

 

[homebrew2ny]

I was messing with you a bit. I'm sure you do great work in your field. I do appreciate your comments and the experience that you've shared. I was just excited about my idea and possibly about going over my managers' heads with it.

No problem, I understand.

Just a thought.....

Your managers boss should be coming to visit his (your managers) territory a few times a year, during which he should be making time to talk to his direct reports (you). This would make a perfect time to openly discuss your concerns with communicating with your manager, and even offering up any ideas you may have.

I'm sure he would discuss your concerns with your manager, but if your manager is remotely worth his position, he will take this as a opportunity to better himself and not hold it against you.

 

[Papa Hogan]

So, with the money my idea saves the company, who should I talk to about a $16000/ yr raise?

 

[glenn1]

I already went above them both once. My supervisor told me not to contact the REGIONAL manager again. That doesn't apply to the CEO, right?

This company is big. It would be extremely difficult and expensive to get into the industry. I like the job, but I'd rather make a biiiiiiiiit more money.

So you've already gone to 3 levels of management with your idea twice and been rejected, that ought to tell you something. Besides, I'm sure they may have given you some insight into why your idea was not adopted, why didn't you share that here?

So, with the money my idea saves the company, who should I talk to about a $16000/ yr raise?

Quite simply, even if your idea could be proven to save $16k, there may well be a valid business case for why the company is spending that money. Cost avoidance isn't the only objective companies have; client goodwill may be judged to be worth more than your $16k for example.

 

[homebrew2ny]

So, with the money my idea saves the company, who should I talk to about a $16000/ yr raise?

This is honestly a interesting question, one I find myself pondering about. Obviously my first response would be to tell your direct manager, however if you have concerns that you are simply being unheard and/or marginalized then I do not see anything wrong with finding another avenue so long as your manager is clearly dismissing you without due respect.

If you have any kind of relationship with your bosses boss then perhaps you could reach out to him with your concerns towards your manager, then ease in to your idea. Or alternatively you could call your HR representative and explain the situation to them, believe it or not HR reps are very down to earth people and willing to help in all situations.

At the end of the day, you know your company and specific situation better than anyone so if talking to your manager is simply not an option then you have to go to the next one available.

Good luck.

 

[MrColin]

I just did that yesterday and got positive feedback from the top. This was after presenting the same info to lower decision makers (repeatedly over a couple of years) and being ignored.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

probably should just mass mail the entire company. i mean its 16,000 dollars after all, thats almost $44 a DAY!

 

[homebrew2ny]

probably should just mass mail the entire company. i mean its 16,000 dollars after all, thats almost $44 a DAY!

Without knowing the specifics, that $16,000 could be by location, and maybe there is 400 locations? That would add up and be worthy of being heard, however it also depends on the idea.

If it is simple as spend less on coffee & doughnuts per location then it will probably be dismissed all around. If he has reached out to a vendor and was able to negotiate a better deal that would save each location $16,000 yearly then that is something upper management should be aware of and willing to take the ball eagerly. Just as examples obviously...

His idea really needs to be fleshed out before reaching out to upper management.

 

[Papa Hogan]

probably should just mass mail the entire company. i mean its 16,000 dollars after all, thats almost $44 a DAY!

Done!

Without knowing the specifics, that $16,000 could be by location, and maybe there is 400 locations? That would add up and be worthy of being heard, however it also depends on the idea.

If it is simple as spend less on coffee per location then it will probably be dismissed all around. If he has reached out to a vendor and was able to negotiate a better deal that would save each location $16,000 yearly then that is something upper management should be aware of and willing to take the ball eagerly. Just as examples obviously...

His idea really needs to be fleshed out before reaching out to upper management.

Nah, it's $16k throughout the entire company sadly. Yep, coffee costs too much. Gotta save. Well, not coffee, but something close.

 

[ultimatebob]

Silly question... but what is your idea that will save the company 16K a year? Maybe you should target your idea to a specific department head, and work from there.

If it's an IT related issue, send it to the IT manager. If it's a shipping related savings issue, send to the shipping manager... and so on.

It helps if any of these managers are a buddy of yours... that way they can send kudos to your boss AND your bosses boss without making them angry.

 

[Papa Hogan]

Silly question... but what is your idea that will save the company 16K a year? Maybe you should target your idea to a specific department head, and work from there.

If it's an IT related issue, send it to the IT manager. If it's a shipping related savings issue, send to the shipping manager... and so on.

It helps if any of these managers are a buddy of yours... that way they can send kudos to your boss AND your bosses boss without making them angry.

I have never met any bosses above my supervisor and regional manager. I'll have to ask who is in charge of approving different supplies that we use. I'll ask IT, maybe they know who has authority to change camera models. My idea is to use a different camera for the day-to-day work.

 

[brianmanahan]

lol, thousands of dollars = 5 seconds of their paycheck

 

[Red Squirrel]

Don't email the CEO, email the CEO and their assistant. Thats how you get on the CEOs radar.

And cc your boss' boss. :biggrin:

 

[homebrew2ny]

$16,000 is nothing to scoff at.

In my business modle we make back roughly 15% of our investment to provide product and services when everything is taken in to account, so to actually make $16,000 profit we would have to spend/invest around $100,000. So to plug a $16,000 hole is significant with regards to spending as well with regards to profit. As the saying goes, a penny saved is a nickel earned.

If the potential savings is a legitimate one, someone would/should be interested.

 

[SearchMaster]

Damn, I feel for you guys. My previous company had ~2200 employees (not huge but not small either) but you could approach the CEO at any time. We also had quarterly "ideas" contests where you could present ideas like this and you might get a trip out of it if the idea was a finalist (CEO was a judge). $16K isn't an eye-opening figure if the company is large but if everyone presented a $16K-saving idea, the company would do a lot better.

 

[JTsyo]

Have you already gone to your boss? Why not him first?

 

[Tweak155]

I had something like this a while back... I didn't even think about going to the CEO (wouldn't have made sense), but it was in my power to enact it if I disregarded what I was told to do.

So I did just that. It probably saved the company multiple 10's of thousands of dollars immediately from paying OT, but also was eventually used long term and continued to save man hours. It got me a promotion ($12k raise or so at the time... was good % wise) and it changed what I did for my job.

Then 2 years later I was fired :biggrin:

 

[OverVolt]

Thank you again for fitting me into your busy schedule. Mr. CEO

Eh, he doesn't deserve the abuse honestly. He would be worlds better than most bosses I've had.

 

[ultimatebob]

Have you already gone to your boss? Why not him first?

I think that it's pretty safe to assume that his boss hates his guts. Probably because the OP is always pestering him with money saving ideas

 

[Craig234]

You should try to make your boss look good. Instead, you want to be his #1 target.

"Loyalty". That's one of a number of reasons you taike it to your boss.

Believe it or not, the other managers are not as impressed by you trying to take all the credit and deny it to your boss. You think that's who they want working for them?

If you think some wod againg about which title your boss said not to go to will count for anything when you evade the spirit of his instruction, I suspect you are in for a surprise.

 

[gorcorps]

This company is big. It would be extremely difficult and expensive to get into the industry. I like the job, but I'd rather make a biiiiiiiiit more money.

"It's too hard"

That's why you'll always be working FOR somebody when you could have a chance to BE somebody.

 

[OverVolt]

The company would save millions if we consolidated all the bosses above me! Why don't they like my idea? Guys? Why is Security here to escort me out?

In addition to that we'd save tons of money if we cut the 401k contributions in half and worked 7 hours shifts so that they are only required to give us one 15 minute break hoorah hoorah.