WOULD YOU FREEZEYOUR EGGS TO PURSUE A CAREER?

Apple and Facebook are adding a new perk for female employees: Free egg freezing that would let them delay parenting for a few years. Egg freezing (technically called "oocyte cryopreservation") as an elective process is still a relatively new trend, first pioneered in humans in 1986. It is designed to allow a woman to attempt to have children past her most fertile years (20-35, according to Mayo Clinic). The process generally involves having a woman in her peak fertile years take hormones to produce more mature eggs than the one that would result naturally during her menstrual cycle, up to 45 eggs, according to the NYU Fertility Centre. The mature eggs are then extracted or harvested in a procedure that takes 10 to 15 minutes under sedation, and the healthy eggs are then frozen in a fertility clinic and kept until a woman wants to have a child, up to 10 years, at which point they are unfrozen and fertilized with sperm, and then re-implanted into a woman's uterus. The technology hasn't been very reliable and was until recently considered experimental. It is also expensive, costing around $10,000 per cycle or "round" of egg production (http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/14/6976295/apple-and-facebook-pay-women-employees-egg-freezing )

Over the years we cannot deny the impact technology has had on our lives and the way we live. Some people believe technology is a blessing; others a curse and I am most certain each school of thought would have conflicting point of views on this subject matter.

According to reports, Facebook began giving out this option this year and Apple is scheduled to start theirs January 2015. Both Silicon Valley giants claim their goal is to give more women opportunities in the tech industry and help retain top female talents in the organizations. Whatever the reason for their action, it is still unsure if it can be classified as right or wrong.

It is said that already these tech giants amongst others are already offering other incentive to make the workplace more condusive such as;

·         unlimited vacation,

·         a casual work environment, and

·          Meals from five-star chefs.

·          Massage and on-site laundry (Google) services to keep employees working. a new extended maternity leave(Apple)

·         Adoption Assistance program, where Apple reimburses eligible expenses associated with the legal adoption of a child and so on

While this is the first time any company would offer egg freezing as an incentive, can this gesture be really considered innocent?

Are the organizations truly interested in closing the gap between the number of males and females recruited or are they motivated by selfish reasons. It would cost the organization $10,000.00 to harvest these eggs and $1,000 a year for maintenance. (Facebook and Apple are both covering costs of egg freezing up to $20,000.) While some people consider it an attractive offer (for those who are not really in having a family) it also seems like an indirect way of asking people to choose between a career and a family.

What this means in literal terms is that if you join the workforce at 26years old you can keep those eggs up until you are 36 years of age. However, the results of an analysis published in August 2013 in the journal Fertility and Sterility indicate that the chances of a live birth after egg freezing for women 30 and older are less than 25%. It seems these companies are encouraging the delay childbirth and reinforcing a workplace culture that isn't supportive of childrearing earlier in people's careers

Below is an example of what people some people think

“If you don't want us to step away from our desks at 30, why will it be OK at 40? Stick your egg freezing in the bin”.

— Freya (@Freyamsr) October 14, 2014

“Would much rather FB/Apple give me $20K towards a robot nanny”

— ▵ Jenna Wortham ▵ (@jennydeluxe) October 14, 2014

 

I personally believe that life is a choice and with every choice comes with its consequence. The best of life comes to you if you avoid staying on the extremes. The cycle of life should not be distrupted. Work life balance is possible and it’s probably be better if these companies invest this money in facilities that would enable these women have the best of both worlds. E.g a daycare facility in the office complex or managed by the organization, flexible working hours, nanny services, e.t.c.

Like I mentioned earlier, opinions vary some people might not feel that way. It’s a function of what your goals are (family-Career) at least Facebook and Apple are giving people an opportunity to make that choice now right! Or are the not?

Eyitemi Adebowale

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CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK

In the spirit of the just concluded customer service week, here are a few WOW experiences that made a positive difference  to be remembered for a very long time;

Jim Shukys’ Auto
Sweats the Small Stuff

DAY-TO-DAY SERVICES STORY

The story was posted on Reddit under the appropriately titled topic of "I have never in my life seen this level of customer service" and included this genuine, thoughtful thank-you note.

But the best part of this tale is that despite the fact that this image was shared on the internet, random commenters started pointing out that they knew exactly which business this was

“I used to live in Streetsboro and I know exactly who that is. He’s a good man, stay with him!”

Now that’s the definition of memorable service! The praise continued with non-customers, too, with one commenter saying,

“It’s little things like this that earn business. If I got this card I would never use another mechanic in my life.”

CASE IN POINT

You don't need to be a big organization to make a big impression. As you grow your business in this highly commercialized environment,take time to"sweat the small stuffs"

the organization above is simply an auto-shop-which we commonly refer to as the mechanic's workshop,yet he took time out to appreciate his customers. Little did he know that his action would go viral and consequently ,not only did he give his customer a WOW experience,he managed to win many more customers over without spending a dime on marketing.
The question for you now is,"how is your customer service growing your small business?because, being a small business is no excuse for crappy service

A Lego Service Rep Saves the Day

LEGO TURNS BOY LOSS INTO A CUSTOMER SERVICE WIN 

Losing a favorite toy feels devastating to a young child. Longtime Lego fan Luka Apps spent all of his Christmas money on a Ninjago (Lego ninja) named Jay XZ. Against his dad’s advisement, he brought his Ninjago on a shopping trip ... and lost it.

.....

Luka wrote a letter to Lego explaining his loss and assuring the Lego staff that he would take extra-special care of his action figure if they sent him another one.

Hello.

My name is Luka Apps and I am seven years old.

With all my money I got for Christmas I bought the Ninjago kit of the Ultrasonic Raider. The number is 9449. It is really good.

My Daddy just took me to Sainsbury’s and told me to leave the people at home but I took them and I lost Jay ZX at the shop as it fell out of my coat.

I am really upset I have lost him. Daddy said to send you a email to see if you will send me another one.

I promise I won’t take him to the shop again if you can.

– Luka

The response he received from Lego customer support representative Richard was nothing short of amazing. Richard told Luke that he had talked to Sensei Wu (a Ninjago character), writing:

He told me to tell you, “Luka, your father seems like a very wise man. You must always protect your Ninjago minifigures like the dragons protect the Weapons of Spinjitzu!”

Sensei Wu also told me it was okay if I sent you a new Jay and told me it would be okay if I included something extra for you because anyone that saves their Christmas money to buy the Ultrasonic Raider must be a really big Ninjago fan.

So, I hope you enjoy your Jay minifigure with all his weapons. You will actually have the only Jay minifigure that combines 3 different Jays into one! I am also going to send you a bad guy for him to fight!

Just remember, what Sensei Wu said: keep your minifigures protected like the Weapons of Spinjitzu! And of course, always listen to your dad.

It’s so rare to see such a thoughtful, creative response to a distraught customer that this story went viral.

CASE IN POINT

A customer is a customer regardless of his age, or social status. Treat them fairly and equally. Lego turned the young boys loss into positive PR for their company. constantly look for ways to save the day, you never can tell.

 
I will no longer do business with Walgreens thanks to this utter fiasco

Name of the Company, and its products or services

Walgreens, Oklahoma City, OK (photo department)

Brief description of what happened 

Walgreens advertised a photo restoration service. I had a defective memory card with approximately 60 photos and I brought the card there with the hope that they could somehow retrive the photos.

Brief description of the customer service I got 

After approximately three weeks of followup with the order and hearing nothing, a Manager called and told me that my order was "accidentally" THROWN AWAY.

Why this was "the worst," and could have been better 

Seriously, what kind of manager can not tell the difference between a customer's photo order and the trash??? While I would have been disappointed if the order came back and they were unable to retrieve any photos from the memory card, I would have understood and been more accepting of it. However, thanks to their idiotic mistake not only do I not have pictures but I don't have the memory card anymore either!!!

Why I do/don't continue to do business with the company 

I will no longer do business with Walgreens thanks to this utter fiasco. The District Manager already received an earful from me and I let it be known that if they want to give me a second chance they're wasting their time. Unfortunately I live down the street from this Walgreens location and I drive by it every day, so it's a constant reminder of their gross incompetence.

Advice

• Do not under any circumstances trust this location with your film, photos, memory cards or anything else for that matter, otherwise your irreplaceable items might end up in the trash, alongside my memory card.

Barbara Farfan, About.com Retail Industry, says:

Unfortunately, mistakes do happen in every kind of retail business every day. While it's important to have systems in place to minimize mistakes as much as possible, it's equally important to have a solid service recovery plan in place that guides employees at all levels about what to do when a service failure occurs. With communication, individual attention, and genuine customer care, customers will be willing to forgive a "worst" customer service experience.

Loyal retail customers are won - or lost - one customer transaction at a time. Just like you don't wait until a fire is burning to decide what your fire prevention plan is, you shouldn't wait until a service failure happens before you decide what your customer service recovery plan is either! 

CASE IN POINT

 If it's important to your customer make sure its important to you too. Treat every transaction, documents, package belonging to a customer very carefully. Nobody likes to do business with an organization who has careless employees. Imagine taking your dress to the dry cleaners only to be told the dresses are missing when you want  to collect them?

What your experience?

Share them here.

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