Ep. 111: Don’t Step on the Daisy - Employee Engagement Lessons from "Joe Vs. The Volcano"

In this episode of the Engaging People Podcast, we’re starting a new segment called “Employee Engagement Goes to the Movies,” where we consult the silver screen for powerful lessons on what to do and what not to do to create the right employee experience.

This week, we examine the 1990 film “Joe Vs. The Volcano” starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. In this movie, Joe (played by Hanks) works a horrible, dehumanizing job and after being told he is dying of a rare disease, quits his job and accepts an offer to travel to the South Pacific to throw himself into a live volcano. The movie follows his journey at he meets people along the way who help shape his destiny.

One of the power principles we took from the film is the concept, “don’t step on the daisy.” In the opening scenes, we watch as employees file in to start their day in a terrible work environment; it’s dark, dirty, depressing, and the management is openly hostile toward their employees. In this setting, one of the workers mindlessly steps on a single remaining daisy, representing the crushed hopes and dreams of the people who work there.

We find this movie filled with examples of what not to do when you consider the employees experience and give some recommendations on how to do things better.

This episode features DecisionWise consultants Spencer Taylor, Kenna Bryan and Charles Rogel.