Where The Hell Is My Bacon?: How an Innocent Pork Product Conquered Employee Engagement and Change Management at a Large Midwestern Corporation

by Beth Anne Campbell

Bacon bits. An untimely health directive. Frazzled technology departments. These may not sound like the makings of a company-wide protest, but, when mixed together with a dash of humor and a pinch of social media, a hilarious and enlightening story begins to unfold. Unexpectedly, fried pork becomes the voice of the people and a beacon of change.Where The Hell Is My Bacon? is the true story of how bacon mastered change management and employee engagement in a modern-day corporate culture and helped an entire department find its mojo again. It is a polygamous marriage between bacon, business, and humor with timely messages about overcoming poor management.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 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 they revolted in a grand, food-centric protest.It was a sad day for bacon but a triumphant moment for the people, who brought to light important lessons about good leadership, employee engagement, communication, and trust.

182 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 25, 2020

Reviews

[Christina M Dube · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read on how a little thing like bacon helped employee morale at large company despite the fact that they were dealing with some pretty significant change that upper management was failing to help them through. Be sure to pay attention to the bonus materials at the end because the author has included some wonderful bacon recipes that are mentioned in the book!

[Julie Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book only took me two hours to devour and I can honestly say that I laughed out loud. A lot.

It's stated to be a true story. One that I did not personally experience, yet the book spoke to me. I have heard (and used) many of the terms sprinkled throughout the pages in my 12 years within IT companies. However, you don't have to work in IT to appreciate and learn from this book.

Read this book if you have ever felt powerless in the changing events in your life. Read it if you have ever needed to feel commradry or like your voice is being heard. Heck, read it if you like bacon and are in need of some bacon recipes (conveniently located in the back of the book.)

Spoiler alert....this book is about bacon but it's NOT about bacon.

[Chris Boesl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!! Laughed out loud several times. Very good easy read. Since I am familiar with the story (yes, it is true!!), I enjoyed trying to match up the characters in the book with the real life bacon patriots. Ms. Campbell has a true knack for story telling. I can't wait for what she comes out with next.