Lexmark’s Exhausting new Slogan…

Tonight I was at a Lexington Legends baseball game, enjoying watching them trounce the Greensboro Grasshoppers (really, that’s their name) …just looking for a little R&R with the wife, kids, peanuts and beer after a tough week in the office.

Around the third inning, I looked up to see the new Lexmark infield banner that had the brand spankin’ new slogan…. “Lexmark, We’re Always Working” Always? Like, on weekends - evenings? While others are out watching baseball with their kids? That is one awful slogan. It makes you think of unpaid overtime, nights spent at the office, etc. You’d think, with more of the world trying to strike a work/life balance that such a slogan wouldn’t make it past the initial brainstorming session.

Some stats I looked up in a few minutes on Google…

• Nearly 50% of all US workers feel overwhelmed by a growing number of job tasks and longer work hours.
• The structure of the modern family has dramatically changed and diversified. The traditional family had two jobs, one paid (father) and one not (mother). Today, there are three jobs held by two parents – two paid wage earners, and one unpaid for the care giving and household responsibilities.
• Monster’s 2004 Work/Life Balance Survey concluded that 81% of the respondents said they were unhappy with their work/life balance.
• Mothers in dual earner income homes spend at least 25 hours per week devoted to childcare, housework, and shopping. This is on top of a 40 hour work week.
• 78% of senior executives and managers say they have 90 minutes or less of personal time on a typical work day.
• 85% of workers have daily responsibilities to go home too.
• The typical middle income married couple works 3,885 hours per year, an increase of 247 hours or nearly one week more than their counterparts ten years ago.But perhaps it’s because I know so many folks who work at Lexmark, giving it their all. Perhaps it’s because I am always striving to strike work/life balance. To be fair, Lexmark is not nearly as bad as many other companies like it in terms of forced unpaid overtime and weekend work - many say it’s a really great company. But where in the world did they get that slogan?

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One Response to “Lexmark’s Exhausting new Slogan…”

1. Feb
   6
   2007
   At 6:34 pm Always Working! Lexmark Surveys Knowledge Workers | Finding the Sweet Spot Says:

   [...] June, I ribbed Lexmark about their slogan, “We’re Always Working.” Now they’ve decided to see if [...]

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