Selling "Trust" - EVERYTHING MUST GO! - Operations Better Business Bureaus Employee Review

There are three main points to remember when discussing the BBB: - It is Non-Profit - Individual BBB offices throughout the country are independent; governed by the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) - It is standards-based; with these standards promulgated by CBBB, crafted to be congruent with local, state, and federal statutes for advertising, retail, usury, etc. Why I reference these tidbits of info will become more evident below. In starting off, though, I should say there are many great BBBs and BBB professionals throughout N. America, but the same can't be said for the Chicago BBB. I worked at the Chicago BBB in varying capacities for almost 5 years. Shortly after I was hired, the entire BBB system came under scrutiny for allegedly selling A+ ratings to companies with dismal BBB records (that is, if they had a BBB file at all.) The LA BBB bore the brunt, as it was the focus of a well-known 20/20 story about the BBB's perceived improprieties. Chicago reviewed some of the allegations, which the Chicago BBB's CEO claimed "made [him] weep." You think that such a strong reaction to so severe an issue would have acted as a catalyst for BBBs around the country to up their game. People come to the BBB and buy from BBB-Accredited Businesses because the organization is supposed to embody TRUST. While you or I might have tried to focus on our core competencies and started community outreach initiatives to repair the BBBs image while educating businesses on best practices and consumers on how to avoid the scammers, the Chicago BBB has, since 2010, focused on increasing it's bottom line. To wit, in less than 3 years the Chicago BBB has effectively had 3 different professionals manage its sales department. When one director was no longer viewed as capable of heading this area (i.e. sales were flat), he was put on notice. The organization then tried to increase revenue by hiring more sales staff. When this didn't work, the relationship with the director was terminated. Wash, rinse repeat with his successor. Someone else is now in that role, making the same mistakes. But I can almost ignore the fact that the Chicago BBB keeps trying to increase its sales staff so it could potentially get more sales given the bigger issue - THE BBB IS A NON-PROFIT ENTITY! Why the heck are you trying to make a profit?! I can understand that you need resources to grow. But you could always vacate expensive high-rise offices downtown or cut executive level pay (rumored to be at or near 6 figures per exec annually). The organization keeps increasing the number of sales staff, not realizing that businesses in a given BBB's service area are a finite resource. Getting more reps just means everyone shares smaller slivers of the "pie" of businesses in Northern IL. As you can imagine, there has not been a mass uptick in the number of accreditation sold despite these efforts. How has management at the Chicago BBB addressed this? BY UNDERMINING THE STANDARDS ITS ACCREDITATION IS SUPPOSED TO UPHOLD! I worked entirely in Operations during my tenure at the Chicago BBB, and I cannot tell you how often the following situation (or similar) came to me: "Why can't we accredit this payday loan company? It already sent us a check!" Never mind the fact that the answer was given before - CBBB prohibits BBBs from accrediting businesses in this industry because of the potential harm they pose to consumers. I've seen reps get angry because Ops didn't want to approve accreditation for an escort service. The CEO used to say that BBB accredited businesses were places your grandma should feel comfortable shopping. Not anymore. Instead of focusing on how to identify viable prospects, the Chicago BBB has attempted to find ways around CBBB's standards (by proxy, these are also standards used in the jurisdictions each BBB operates. That payday loan company? "Just say they offer 'financial services'." The escort service? "What if we didn't list its website?" These are the answers management has provided. Though the rift was already forming when I started working there, by the time I left they had solidified to a point that upper management began to remove staff members that stood in the way of accrediting problematic businesses and pocketing the filthy lucre. Some of us received lateral promotions that took away our roles as decision makers. For my part, I left before things got worse. Speaking of which, the Chicago BBB has become quite nepotistic in its hiring practices. One Chicago company, itself dying a slow death, is being used to poach replacements for some director-level positions. Qualifications did not seem to be considered - just that so-and-so worked with so-and-so "over there." so they must be the best fit. And while these people are getting golden tickets from one near-defunct corporation to another, the average BBB worker continues to suffer. There is very little infrastructure in place to help foster a productive work environment. Examples of this include a patch-work computer network cobbled together from outdated tech and only one IT professional for 75-85 employees. We had old-timey desks for so long - desk that were not meant to be used for typing - that one employee had to leave; her hands permanently gnarled and twisted by carpal tunnel. There is no call center, and all Operations staff members are required to answer phones (even though they are also trying to handle business-consumer complaints, or advertising review, or investigations.) By the way, the starting pay for most BBB employees, at least during my tenure, was under $25k. The hires that accepted these roles either had little alternative during the recession or are the lower-end of the work force. It always makes you feel good to be part of an organization where even the managers can't write a coherent email or speak in proper English. Don't get me wrong, the Chicago BBB isn't dead yet, and you might be able to land a decent enough job and politically rise through the ranks, but odds are the position you want most will be given to someone's inept buddy. If you're lucky and actually get something lucrative, please MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR LEVEL OF COMPENSATION IN WRITING BEFORE ACCEPTING. The CEO will look you in the eye and say "we will give you X pay effective on Y date" but when Y comes along he says he still needs more time. It's a non-profit, he tries to remind you. Three months after Y, he offers you different pay effective on a different date "Just as I promised," barely stifling a smug giggle. Oh, and you will totally be working 9 hour days if you care about your job. There's just that much work to do with so little help