Ginger says: “If you can renovate an entire house in three days, there’s something wrong with you if you can’t get the server runnin’ in two weeks.”
America asks: Has anyone at Trademark ever tried to get tech support on the phone?
The show opens at the Ten at Ten Sales Meeting. Richard confronts George, the IT guy, about the office machinery breaking down. Richard tells him that he needs to lead his division, but we learn that George is a team of one. So when Richard tells him to delegate his responsibilities, we wonder how exactly he can do that. Does he need to hire someone? Is he allowed to hire anybody else?
Richard tells us that he started Trademark 17 years ago. Now he has 42 employees and did 250 million in sales last year. Ginger tells us that when George started the job, it was a small office. Now, he is left to run a massive network, and he’s overwhelmed. George tells us that he doesn’t think that people understand the complications of his job.
(Okay, let’s recap the recap: One IT guy in a company with 42 employees. The CEO wants a paperless office. At this point, it appears that George doesn’t have the proper resources to do his job.)
Lori, the Residential Team Leader, says that she knows George’s grandmother. Grandma wants George to own his first home. Lori has found the perfect house for him. It is a two bedroom, one bath ranch. George loves it and Richard quickly agrees to the deal.
During the walk-through, Ginger and George decide to redo the floors. Ginger points to a room and tells him that this could be his office and of course, the internet wouldn’t work. Funny. The house will need a new A/C unit, tile on the floor, new countertops, carpet and trim. The House Inspector tells them that there are big problems underneath the structure. Those problems will cost an extra 25-30K to fix.
After the commercial: Lori re-negotiated the contract of the house, so the extra work is covered. George, Ginger and Lori visit George’s grandmother. Grandma has a thick, southern accent, and she enjoys embarrassing George. She's a sweetheart.
Grandma and George go to the attorney’s office to sign documents for the house. America’s eyes glaze over at the stack of papers George has to sign. Grandma threatens to move in with George if she doesn’t visit him often. Funny.
Meanwhile, back at the office… Email is down. Blackberrys are down. Everyone is frustrated. Grinding of teeth ensues.
Ginger visits the house. Workers are replacing joists under the house. Ginger tell us that through speedy work, she’s hoping to show George how speed works.
Richard wants to have a paperless office and is very upset that technology fails. George tell us that he’s a methodical worker.
(So basically, the company has one method of working: creative, free-flowing, chaotic. George is methodical. Different processes equal conflict.)
Commercial: I have nothing good to say about that SoyJoy commercial, so I won’t say anything at all. And I’m not buying it either. You can’t make me.
The office receptionist looks depressed as she tells George that the email is not working. Again, Richard tells us that George wants to be a one-man show. Again, America wants to know if he got permission to hire outside help. Or buy equipment that works. Perhaps George can get the Crab House Man to fix the email.
Richard and the others meet with George. Richard tells him to coordinate and delegate. George looks like he’s going to cry. George tells Richard that there isn’t a magic button to fix what needs to be fixed. Richard pressures George. George covers his face and tells him it doesn’t work like that. Richard tells him to get it done today or give him the resignation.
(Yikes, this is a communications disaster. Richard isn’t listening to George and George can't communicate with Richard. By staging the conflict in front of others, Richard might be trying to apply peer pressure to George. Instead, the audience can only sympathize with him, as it is obviously humiliating to everyone involved.)
Ginger wants to prove to George that there is no reason computer work can’t be done as quickly as house renovation. While the carpet is being spread throughout the floor, Ginger attempts to measure the countertops. Unfortunately, she can’t get an accurate measurement. Funny. Richard visits the house, and gives Ginger a new set of instructions on how he wants the house to look.
With one day left on the project, the subs can’t get a hold of Ginger because email is down.
No, wait… The night before, Ginger found a lost dog. The next morning, she brings the gorgeous Husky into Trademark offices. While the dog is well-behaved, Richard isn’t pleased. He tolerates the dog’s presence. Because she has to watch the dog, Ginger can’t get to the appliance store. When she arrives back at the house, the flooring guy tells her that there is no way she can get the work done. She’s disappointed.
Ginger finds the Husky owners. Dog and owner are reunited. Upon dropping the dog off, she says that she wanted to teach George a lesson about not getting sidetracked and sure enough, she got sidetracked. Richard complains that she’s let the lost dog get in the way of work. ‘This ain’t doggie daycare. This ain’t dog-day afternoons.”
When Ginger arrives, she tells Richard that because George does a half-assed job on their computers, why shouldn’t they do a half-assed job on the house. Richard reminds her that they lead by example.
(Ginger obviously doesn’t think that they should do a half-assed job on the house. I don’t buy that she believes that for a second. If anything, Ginger has acted like a good friend up until this point, so the fact that she would suggest it is completely unbelievable.)
While work continues on the house, Ginger picks appliances for the kitchen. She tells us, yet again, that they want to lead by example. When she comes back to the house, Ginger says that she thinks the house would’ve been done already if she had been there all day.
Ginger tells us that they are planning to have the house ready in time for George’s housewarming party. When she arrives back at the house, the subs aren’t there. Lots of work still has to be done. The subs finally arrive. Ginger calls Richard and asks him to bring the office vacuum. She tells us that she’s going to be the cleaning lady today.
Meanwhile, the email problem continues... Walt, a Trademark employee, tells us that the company is in a growth mode. George begins the story with “the day of the big email crash…” During a conversation, George tells Richard that he’s been on the phone with a ***** ***** company. I won’t mention the company’s name, but if you do a search of the name on net, you’ll see that it might not just be a George problem.
Richard arrives to help Ginger clean the house. Ginger cleans a toilet because it’s not an option to let your team down. Subs are hard at work. Ginger tells us that if they don’t get it done in time, then they haven’t proved their point to George.
The last day: The email doesn’t work. George tells us, essentially, that all he had to do was place a phone call and the problem was solved. They show the phone call. Email is up and everyone is happy.
The house is finished. George arrives and is surprised that the house is done. The senior team is there, along with Grandma. Richard tells us that when a company makes a difference in an employee’s life, it inspires loyalty. Ginger tells us that George has a lot of instant equity in his home. On screen, they show numbers to back it up.
Richard lectures George on the value of teamwork. Ginger gives George a very sincere hug. George tells us that he was working on the outside so much that he didn’t get the team thing.
As the credits roll, they show the team hanging out and talking to each other.
Comments: My disclaimer: As a day job in the late 90s, I worked at a nonprofit management consulting organization. Day in and day out I was surrounded by HR and organizational development consultants. I learned how to manage employees, and learned about communication within organizations. I’ve also worked with techies, and in another job, I was the “outsider looking in.”
So forget about the house, this episode was a feast for HR consultants. Different communication and work styles? A company whose growth has outpaced its infrastructure? Very common... Unfortunately, employees take the brunt of the problem. From the top down, it can appear that people aren’t doing the work. When, in fact, these employees are either burned out, frustrated, and out of resources.
Administrative and IT people have an especially difficult time of it in these types of companies. Often they are not considered an essential part of the company… Until the email goes down.
From a dramatic standpoint: This episode was a bitch to recap because nothing happened. Can you dramatize an absence without being a whiner? Why would I want to listen to people constantly complaining about not getting email? As Ginger said in the middle of the show: I don’t want to hear about the problem, just tell me when it’s solved.
As well, I know I was supposed to think that George wasn’t motivated, but I don’t buy it. Neither did Jethro, who was watching it with me. It appeared that Richard didn’t understand what it was like to deal with tech support.
I think this show was a miscalculation. Viewers are more inclined to sympathize with people like themselves. Is anyone out there like Richard?
Finally, dealing with a possible HR issue on a show is a risk. I’m not sure it paid off here.
I don’t mean to get down on anyone, but that’s how it read from my end. Don’t get me wrong, I still like this show and everyone involved. And I'll be here next week, recapping and encouraging others to watch it.
That said, Ginger came off better than ever. Rescuing a dog in danger? Cleaning a toilet? Encouraging her co-workers? With each episode, Ginger gets better and better.
Trademark Talk: “The only way to get rich in America is to build net worth.” LOL. What does that mean?
Next week: Something endangers Richard's reputation, and he's forced to renovate a house.
(I'm aware of how goofy that sounds. I'm really not trying to be snarky, but that was how the preview translated to the folks at home.)
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