Conference 7.286::digital

    See section 6.19 Personnel Policy & Procedure Manual U.S.
    
    Direct policy on solicitation - it is directly prohibited
	
    See section 6.24 Personnel Policy & Procedure Manual U.S.
    
    Under privacy rights section one of the specific examples of what
    employees WILL not do:
    
    	           "Solicit from others on working time"
    

    Doesn't surprise me that Personnel didn't know the answer.....probably
    in another meeting.

Policies and Procedures section 6.19  Solicitations and Distribution of
Literature


 It is Digital's policy that all employees are not to solicit other
 employees for any purpose during working time.  Working time does
 not include break time or meal time.  Digital employees are not
 permitted to distribute literature of any kind and at any time in
 working areas.

 Persons who are not employees of the Company are prohibited from
 distributing literature of any kind or soliciting employees for any
 purpose at any time on Company property.

    I find people who come around with their tin cups directly soliciting
    to be offensive. I see no problem with sending out a message to a
    somewhat limited distribution list saying something like:
    
    "I'm doing xxx, if you'd like to contribute to the green faced bent
     leg policemen's fund please drop by my cube and see me."
    
    I'll get annoyed of I get any follow up messages.
    I also think it is OK if a note is posted in a relevent notesfile.
    
    I'm glad direct person to person soliciting is against company policy.
    
    In summary I think it is OK to be made aware that you can contribute if
    you like. I think it is wrong is people directly ask/solicit you to
    contribute.
    
    Dave

-- May be considered flames by some --

It's too bad for those of us that don't wish to support the United Way
that this policy does not seem to apply to that cause.

For years I have been bothered by emplyees and managers trying to get
me to contribute. This, along with constant mail about events, drawings,
prizes and on and on via mail and posters and flyers posted all over the
place begins to make me angry. Some of us have had bad experiences with
or just don't support the policies of the United Way and its supported
agencies. We really get tired of all the disruption of the "campaign".
Also the company makes me complete and sign a form every year saying,
AGAIN, that I don't want to contribute. Why is this cause special?
JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!

I do have to say that it's better at Digital than some other places. I worked
for one company that rated it's managers by the United Way participation
of their employees. Managers harassed their employees into contributing
and for those that still refused, managers were expected to increase their
own personal contributions to cover those employees that refused. As you can
expect this resulted in some strong negative feelings in the workplace.

I hope Digital never gets that bad....

    re: .5
    
>Also the company makes me complete and sign a form every year saying,
>AGAIN, that I don't want to contribute.
    
    I just throw the form away.

RE: .4

>    I see no problem with sending out a message to a
>    somewhat limited distribution list saying something like:
>    
>    "I'm doing xxx, if you'd like to contribute to the green faced bent
>     leg policemen's fund please drop by my cube and see me."

I find such things annoying, although not annoying enough to lodge formal
complaints with Personnel about it.  I usually send mail to the authors of
such solicitations pointing out that it is against company policy and that,
while I'm not going to register a formal complaint, the author may not be so
lucky with others who receive the solicitation.

--PSW

    Re .-1
    
    Well I kind of agree with you. But I only get annoyed if I get too many
    of them. I get lots of junk mail telling about such things as:
    
    	- Mammograms in health services. Maybe they're trying to persuade
    	  me to have a sex change.
    	- Courses I have no interest in.
    	- Notices that only pertain to other facilities
        - Requests for help finding some piece of software etc.
    
    So the odd. Hey, I'm swimming around the earth, if you'd like to
    sponsor me please drop by; don't bother me. But I would get bothered
    if such solicitations formed a significant percentage of my junk mail.
    
    Dave

I have often done something similar to what Paul mentioned in .7 - when
someone is avidly soliciting in the group I sometimes place a xerox
copy of the aforementioned P&P's in their hard copy mail slot as an
"anonymous reminder". It has frequently worked.

.5 brought up a very interesting point re: United Way being immune
to the policy since it's corporately sanctioned. I don't think
we're likely to ever see it change, but I must agree that it's
an unfair advantage that they receive, and that the annual campaign
is a real pain in the other end.

-Jack

    RE: .9
    
         I think the reason that United Way was allowed to sail its ship
    past the blockade against solicitations is that it encompasses so many
    different charities.  There might be many more interruptions of our
    workday by people violating the anti-solicitation policies if United
    Way were not allowed as a "vent" of sorts.  People who don't like the
    United Way organization itself can donate to a single specific group
    through them.  
    
         Judging by the 70%-80% participation rates at our location, I
    would say that it was a wise decision to allow United Way.
    
                                     Greg

    Ref .4 -- I don't even want that level of solicitation.  There is no
    place for such activities in the workplace, period.  Also, I object to
    having to turn the United Way envelope back in empty.  I throw it away
    also.

    Around here it's the 'Special Olympics'.  The DEC lunchroom has a large
    poster AND another large poster covered with photographs of the latest
    festivities, featuring damaged children in wheelchairs, etc.  
    
    karl

    Boy, you lot sure are a bunch of sour-pusses, aren't you?
    
    If you don't want to contribute, then don't contribute.  (For the
    record, I don't give money to United Way, usually do give small amounts
    to members of my work group who are doing sponsored something, as long
    as I approve of the charity).
    
    It takes no effort to refuse.
    
    All this incantation of company rules and policies strikes me as
    being pitiful.  Can't you live without having **RULES** ?
    
    
    

    re.10
    
    I'm not sure if this is still so but in the past I donated to the Red
    Cross thru the United Way. When I started teaching for the ARC I
    learned that if a person did that the UW then cuts out the % from other
    donations unitl the difference is made up. Dirty in my opinion. 
    
    I give them time and blood now, I'll keep my cash.
    
    
    

    Re .-1
    
    The United Way is basically a scam. It is a non profit organization
    but it does have employees that pull large salaries. They act as
    middlemen funnelling your charitable donations to particular agencies.
    Of course they take their cut for doing so. I believe that there is
    a note elsewhere in this conference that says what that percentage is.
    
    Myself, the United Way card goes straight into the wastepaper basket.
    I prefer to do things like volunteer for activities at WGBH and support
    very specific activities of charities that I agree with.
    
    I think it is a disgrace that the company at some facilities armtwists
    employees into donating to United Way.
    
    Dave

         United Way is actually one of the most efficient charitable
    organizations around.  By the disclosures they are required by gov't
    regulations to reveal, the end organizations receive 90% of the funds
    raised.  Naturally there are administrative costs, but they do far
    better than most organizations of their type.
    
                                     Greg

    Re .-1
    
    My point is that United Way is just a middleman than channels money to
    other organizations that actually do the charitable work. I think a 10%
    cut to just route the contribution elsewhere is excessive. Not to
    mention the fact that the end organization takes an administrative cut
    as well.
    
    So I'd be extremely surprised if this distributor of money had more
    overhead (read, large salaries and perks) than an organization that
    actually had to organize and administer charitable work.
    
    United Way exists solely so that people can easily make tax deductable
    contributions and feel good about it. My opinion only, others may, and
    probably do, disagree.
    
    Dave

         RE: -.1
    
         Indeed.  Your opinion and others do disagree.  The 10% is more
    than justified.  Many organizations under the United Way umbrella do no
    advertising on their own at all (this is true for the Colorado Springs
    organization).  United Way, however, generates huge sums of money that
    would otherwise probably not be donated at all.  They accomplish this
    through a very efficient organization largely made up of volunteers.
    Their costs are largely materials and various services.
    
         Check out the disclusures on some other charitable organizations
    and you will see the reality of United Way's efficiency.  Most others
    take a much larger chunk.
    
                                         Greg
    
             

    On the subject of junk mailings, solicitations, etc, how much of Digitals 
    money is spent on these? Do the employees pushing the charity pay
    for these on their own or does it come out of digitals copier rooms?
    How about all the unproductive, wasted time spent on putting one flier 
    on each persons desks or chairs. How about wasted mailroom costs sending
    these fliers through internal mail to all of the field offices etc.
    etc?
    
    Jut a few thoughts or questions...
    Renis

    re -.3
    
     >United_way is actually a very efficient organization with 90% 
     >going to charity etc.
    
      That's an old number, at least for the Mass. Chapter.  After 
    giving pay raises of around 20% to their employees, and raising
    headcount by 80% last year, their "efficiency" has slipped into
    the mid 80%'s.  (This is all from memory from a globe article last
    year which also mentioned that the president made close to $200k...)
    
    
    						-al
    

    RE: .21
    
         That is not correct.  90% is the current percentage and it is for
    the national organization.
    
                                          Greg

    
    The relative merit of any particular charity or charity broker is a
    rathole discussion of religious proportions.
    
    I hope .0 will act on the accurate policy information provided in
    previous replies, and point it out to any annoying solicitors.
    
    And I hope that any personnel rep with more than two weeks on the job
    who is not aware of this policy is getting a 4 or 5 rating.
    

	My method is to junk the United Way envelope, and inform anyone I
get electronic mail from that I consider being solicited for money at work to
be harrassment and to please remove me from their mailing list.  Considering
that harassment is in the eye of the beholder, it usually decreases the
United Way (for some reason I don't get solicited for much else) junk mail
considerably.

						--D

	The particular issue involved has been solved.  I was told that
	the charity seekers were informed of corporate policy and will
	no longer be doing that activity....

	rb

    For those of you interested in more on UW - Note 185 here has over 40
    replies to it on UW specifically.  But, I found the most recent
    information and figures on how UW "works" in BMT::INVESTING conference
    Note 1713.  It has some eyewitness accounts of the inside workings
    of this agency, and some real interesting accounts of how they are
    rated as a "non-profit" organization.

	Truth to tell, I never realized there was a Corporate Policy
	about this. (Maybe there's a Corporate Policy that says you
	can't keep a toothrbush in your desk, in which case I'm afraid
	I'm in contravention of that one too).

	About twice a year someone has come round my office with a
	"sponsorship form". Once it was a friend and colleague who
	planned to (and did) jump out of an airplane to collect
	money for people with mental handicaps. Once it was some guys
	I didn't know, who were about to do something really wild
	(can they really have flown a microlight across the English
	Channel?) Last time, it was a manager I know and respect,
	who was running in the London Marathon and asked to be
	sponsored for some charity.

	Each time I signed up for (and gave) �1-5 (about $2-8). It
	never occurred to me to resent or object to the request. It
	only took about one minute of my time, it was in a good cause,
	and I appreciated the opportunity to help. Additionally, in
	all three cases I was amazed by the enterprise, courage and
	sheer capability of the people involved. Honestly, I'm
	honoured to work with people like these, and I'm really
	glad I found out what they were doing.

	Now, if people were coming round every day - or even every week -
	it might get to be a problem.

	/Tom

    You're clearly much too level-headed !
    
    	:-)