Jeff Bezos has an intimidating ‘question mark method’ he uses when sending emails
Receiving an email from your boss chasing up work which hasn't been completed or sending you an unexpected task to sort out is a stressful - but expected - part of daily working life.
Getting a one character email from your company's CEO on the other hand would be something that many would consider frightening.
However, for employees at Amazon this isn't uncommon, as founder Jeff Bezos is no stranger to sending out a certain type of ominous email.
Advert
Picture this, you're an employee at Amazon and you suddenly receive an email that's been forwarded down the chain of command.
The email's contents? A customer query followed by a simple '?' from Mr Bezos himself.
No further context is given, just a single question mark and the sense of urgency which comes with a communication from the CEO himself.
This dreaded occurrence is the Bezos question mark, which will likely put the fear of god into any Amazon employee who finds said message landing in their inbox.
Now, this may sound like an exaggerated - or even made up - story to scare slacking workers into shape, however, Bezos himself has confirmed the story to be true during a 2018 interview at the George W. Bush Presidential Centre.
Explaining the method, Bezos explained: "I still have an email address customers can write to. I see most of those emails."
Although the CEO is extremely unlikely to respond to any of the messages he receives, he does read a great deal of them and is more than happy to forward a message he believes needs actioning.
"I see them and I forward them to the executives in charge of the area with a question mark. It's shorthand [for], 'Can you look into this?' 'Why is this happening?'" he added.
Once Bezos has sent out his dreaded '?' email, the message is then forwarded to the relevant team, who in turn will work overtime to address the concerns raised.
The method has, of course, divided people online, with some social media users calling the method 'crappy, awful, corporate leadership behaviour' and 'panic inducing', however, Bezos maintains the practice is a way to stay aware of real-time customer concerns.
"We talk about it, customer obsession, as opposed to competitor obsession," he explained.
"If your whole culture is competitor-obsessed, it's hard to stay motivated if you are out in front. Whereas customers are also unsatisfied, always discontent, always want more. So no matter how far in front you get in front of competitors, you are still behind your customers. They are always pulling you along."
If you're looking for the relevant email address the fire off your complaints to next time your parcel is late or left in the neighbour's dustbin, a 2018 article from Business Insider states that you can reach him at [email protected].
But we wouldn't expect to get a reply.
Topics: Amazon, Jeff Bezos, Business, Social Media, Jobs
Brenna Cooper