Analyzing Business Policies of Safeway Company
Analyzing Business Policies of Safeway Company
Safeway Company has policies that require employees to smile at and make eye contacts with customers. Most of the customers would view this kind of facial gestures as a friendly way of doing business, but some customers might misunderstand them as a “flirt”. Twelve employees had filed complaints about this “Superior Service” policy and found it unethical for the company to have undercover shoppers to spot if there is any violator. This led to Union to get involved and suggest the company to modify the policy. However, the headquarters disagreed that the policy was the cause of the misunderstanding. And they think it is necessary to train their employees to be friendly and having the right attitude to serve their customers.
Critical Thinking:
1. How, specifically, does this case illustrate the process of attribution?
The case illustrates this company enforcing this “Superior Service” policy to their employees, and might somehow attribute the cause of misconception from the customers. Employees were asked to smile and keep eye contact to their customers, but these friendly gestures were considered by some of the customers as flirt. The internal cause would be the smile and eye contact, and the external cause would be the customers’ responses or perception. The correspondent inferences could be the smile and extensive cares of customers might lead to assumption to some customers as flirt.
2. What do you suppose is being done to help train people to be more friendly toward customers? In other words, what do you imagine goes on in Safeway’s “Smile School”?
I would imagine students sitting in groups and exchanging ideas on how to serve the customers better. Instructor would also have employees to perform “role-playing”, having one side act as customers and the other side doing their job as clerks. Different scenario would be provided and employees will be asked to solve each case in a polite manner. Instructors would correct their mistakes and provide feedback to each individual. In addition, employees would always be reminded to smile and keep eye contact to their customers.
3. What do you think of sending undercover shoppers into stores to spot violators of the customer service policy? In your opinion, is this ethical?
In my opinion, sending undercover shoppers into stores to spot...