Where The Hell Is My Bacon?: How An Innocent Pork Product Conquered Employee Engagement And Change Management At A Large MIdwestern Corporation

Bacon bits. Stressed-out technology teams. Health directives. Corporate chaos. These ingredients may not sound like a protest against the establishment, but when mixed together with a dash of humor and a sprinkle of social media, suddenly fried pork becomes the voice of the people and a beacon of change. Where the Hell is My Bacon? is the unicorn story of how an innocent pork product mastered change management and employee engagement in a modern-day corporate culture. The removal of bacon bits from the company cafeteria salad bar-courtesy of an executive health mandate-could not have come at a worse time. The IT department was in the middle of a demanding transition of their day-to-day work to an offshore team. People feared for their jobs, confidence in management was nil, communication was abysmal, and morale was at an all-time low. So, when the health decree came down and bacon disappeared from the cafeteria, it was the final blow. Following a single social media post lamenting the loss of their beloved pork, the voice of the department exploded. The masses had suffered enough and revolted in a grand, food-centric protest. It was a sad day for bacon...but an important moment for the people, who uncovered important lessons about employee engagement, communication, and trust.