To anyone wondering why so many Rock Financial cars are on patrol in Downtown Detroit: It’s not to ward off muggers. Rather, it’s to ensure compliance with the 19 “isms” – or “the ideals we live by” – at the Quicken Family of Companies.
Employees of the Quicken companies make up a sizable percentage of the people on downtown streets, and the patrols are trained to keep watch and make sure they’re all sticking with the isms. Here are four of the isms and what happens when someone is observed violating each:
“We eat our own dog food.” Occasionally employees are discovered eating Alpo or Gaines Burgers. When this happens it is considered disruptive. Non-Quicken dog food is immediately confiscated and replaced with the company’s brand.
“You have to take the roast out of the oven.” Considering that this is one of the most important isms, it is amazing how many staffers put roasts in the oven, then forget to take them out. Security officials stop people at random to ask: “Is the roast still in the oven?” If it is, they are given ten minutes to take it out.
“Ignore the noise.” When employees are paying attention to the noise, they are stopped and talked to. If it is a first offense, they receive a verbal warning. For the second offense, the noise is turned up slightly – then more for each ensuing offense, ultimately making the noise impossible to ignore and rendering the offender ineligible for employment.
“What are they?” “They” are not who you might think “they” are. They are members of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Why this is who “they” are cannot be discussed outside of Quicken – but patrols continually ask the question and employees are expected to know.
For a complete list of the “isms,” visit HERE
