Yesterday was Earth Day, and I received about 200 email messages from businesses that urged me to ‘go green’.
I don’t know about you, but I only take my environmental advice from multinational conglomerates who create tax havens in the Cayman Islands and outsource their manufacturing needs to juntas in Burma and The Northern Mariana Islands.
The most obnoxious email messages on Earth Day were the ones that wanted to educate me — as if going green would somehow improve my life. Take, for example, this email from Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.
Go Green! Enroll in Horizon BCBSNJ’s Paperless EOB option today.
So let me just say a couple of things. I haven’t belonged to BCBS NJ since 2003, which makes me question BCBS’s member database, let alone their ability to deliver electronic information. Furthermore, I would be happy to receive my explanation of benefits via email in a PDF format — but let’s not pretend that you’re doing me a favor. This has nothing to do with the environment and everything to do with trying to reduce costs related to paper, processing, and postage.
So if BCBS wants you to ‘go green’ and enroll in the paperless EOB option, ask them for something in return. Suggest a quid pro quo. You want me to save you some money? Show me some love.
- Reduce my copayments.
- Improve your customer service.
- Give me a Macy’s gift card.
Hey, whatever.
I am all for reducing costs and implementing smart electronic medical billing systems, but we will address climate change through smart legislation and business regulations — not through stupid email messages urging me to go green.
Go green? Go f — yourself.
Laurie Ruettimann: Team Building is for Suckers and Punk Rock HR is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
What I don’t like is why we get it once a year. If a company or an individual is in favor of recycling, “green” initiatives, or otherwise being good stewards of our planet, why do they only tell us once a year? If it’s a real, sincere attempt to contribute positively to the environment, shouldn’t it be going on all year?
I have clearly become a bit cynical about these annual Earth Day blitzes. Even The Big Blue W has a huge Earth Day display out here in East Jesus – granted I’m glad to have eco-friendly options because I wasn’t sure what I’d find in this little town, but still… let’s just keep it up.
/end rant
Very nice, I hate this recent trend of companies paying lip service to the environment because it’s trendy.
Thank you for being the first person to make me lol today! I’m not even out of my pajamas and you already have me going!
Luv this. Thank you for keeping it real!!!
Nice! Punk Rock HR – she goes great with your morning coffee!!
For the well funded Macy’s gift card, I’d go green for a day; well as long as I can still drive my non-eco friendly V6 turbo charged car to said Macy’s.
I previously worked for a local Credit Union and one of our initiatives a couple of years was to do our part and ‘encourage’ members to enroll in estatements. We did offer incentives to those members that opted to enroll in the paperless banking; they received a percentage discount on new loans and a quarter percent higher dividend on savings accounts.
Amen Girl. Will excessive taxation actually go to any kind of service that will reduce global warming? Of course, this begs the very question that carbon emissions actually causes global warming. But to my sensibilities, it feels waaaaay too much like an opening for companies to rape your wallet again. All in the name of saving the planet, of course.
Dude, my former employer sent out a memo (from the office of the President) that due to extreme pressure to reduce costs they would no longer provide stryofoam coffee cups gratis in any of the break rooms. Within two weeks of that memo going out, did an HR Newsletter go out explaining to the employees that the move was not about saving money, but was part of our “on-going” green initiatives. Nice spin losers!
Why not listen to a company that makes millions of dollars? I mean, someone in the company must have gone to a green webinar or something, right?
And the company just wants to make you socially aware that THEY are socially aware. Oh, and buy the way…buy some of their crap too.
It’s always about the Benjamins – always has been and always will be.
I don’t mind corporate green ad campaigns. Seriously, that cause needs all the exposure it can get.
What burns me up (and I’m apparently not alone) is when companies think I am stupid. Switching to electronic billing is not about saving the environment, it is about saving you money. Why would I want to do that? I am not under any illusions that you will pass the savings back to me (unless I also happen to be a shareholder).
I might have switched when you asked me. After being insulted I will never switch. Never! You will have to pry my paper bill out of my cold dead hands!
By the way, I switched to online payments and statements several years back. The only exceptions are those few companies that had the temerity of charging me for the privilege of saving them money. All these years later they still get a check from me (wow, I am more spiteful than I thought!).
LMAO! I think you need to use that as a tag line:
Go Green? Go F— yourself!
I’m in tears over here.
@HRputer Aw shucks, thanks.
@guajardoforesight That’s so funny. I don’t mind corporate green ad campaigns. Seriously, that cause needs all the exposure it can get. No, really, environmentalism doesn’t need any more help. It’s like the AIDS movement of the 90s. People tune it out. (Also, PS, good for you. I’m almost all electronic statements and my life is easier for it.)
@Jenn I wish it were all about the Benjamin Buttons. That would be funner.
@InkedHR exactly!
@HRPuf Spin drives me crazy. Layoffs now equal >>> We’re going green by reducing the number of fat butts in our cubicle farm.
@gatestec Carbon emissions = Global warming. I’m pretty sure about that. Otherwise, yes.
@pseudoHR Thank you, finally, incentives that work.
@Jeff I’m not awake early enough to qualify for morning coffee. Maybe afternoon latte.
@Patti Thanks
@Ginny You had me at pajamas!
@Minion I remember when other things were trendy: breast cancer awareness, AIDS awareness, etc. It seems to diminish the real cause.
@Kelly I’m okay with companies jumping on the bandwagon. Let’s just be honest about it. “We want to grab your attention by co-opting earth day. Here’s your eco-friendly shopping bag.” Hey, I like free stuff.
Right on, sister. I’m all up in the going green movement, but I want to do it on my terms — which I tend to trust better than theirs, and have more green faith in — and not be upsold (is that a word? did I use it correctly?) some corporate offers/options/crap/etc. just because they can tug on my liberal tendencies. In my opinion, they ought to be responsible corporate citizens, and that includes not bleeding the environment. And as you point out, it’s a lot cheaper for them to send out a PDF than pay for paper and postage. This is not a “what’s in it for me?” attitude on our part — it’s a question of “how else are you exploiting your customers?” for them.
@Icepick You know, I don’t mind being exploited as long as I can play that game, too, and get something out of it. You want my data? You want me to buy into your electronic medical billing process? Show. Me. The. Money.