A former WWE photographer, Tom Buchanan has shared a memo from Linda McMahon from the mid-1990s describing WWE’s “profit improvement plan” during that period.
WWE was under siege from WCW at the time and the company was suffering from public perception due to Vince McMahon‘s 1994 steroid trial.
The plan included radical proposals such as charging employees for long-distance calls and cutting security from the building.
McMahon found additional inventive ways to slash costs, and the memo gives us a glimpse of WWE’s desperate efforts to improve its financial situation at the time.
The full memo reads as follows:
To mailing list: #EVERYONE
Subject: MEMO FROM LINDA MCMAHON
Re: PIP
Over the last few weeks we have had many meetings and discussions about our profit improvement plan, and we have received many good suggestions which we will continue to evaluate.
However, the following suggestions we are going to implement immediately:
1. Telephone
Effective today everyone will be responsible for all personal telephone calls. At the end of each month you will receive a call listing for all long distance calls made from your extension. Please review it, and send your check made payable to Titan Sports to accounting.
2. Crystal Rock Water
We will discontinue the purchase of bottled water at Titan Tower and at the Distribution Center when the water supply we have in house is depleted. Over the next few weeks we will install drinking fountains at TV and phase bottled water at that facility also.
3. Cafeteria
We have attempted to change the service and at least break even, but we have been unsuccessful. As of Monday, we will discontinue our, cafeteria service. The lunch room will be open and soon we will provide more vending machines for your use.
4. Security
We will eliminate the security at Titan Tower and the TV facility effective at the end of today. A receptionist will be at the B level lobby and at TV’s lobby to greet our guests.
5. Federal Express
We have seen a dramatic reduction in Federal Express, but there is still room to improve. All requests must absolutely be necessary.
6. Spending Authority
Beginning today, I am instituting a radical new procedure for expenditure approvals. A table of authority which indicates who is authorized to spend the company’s funds will be circulated to everyone.
In the past, Department heads were permitted to sign contracts, purchase inventory, and commit expenditure dollars without senior management approval. All such items and all monies to be spent, regardless of the amount (except as indicated on the attached), must be approved by Doug Sages or myself. Check requests and/or a purchase order must be completed. This process will retined as we proceed, but I am convinced that we will be better able to harness our spending with this procedure.
7. Kodak Copy Machines
We have evaluated our usage and found that a number of machines are significantly under utilized. As such, we will be eliminating some of machines in the near future. That will mean that the machine locations will be less convenient for some of us.
8. Insurance Benefits
One idea that continually surfaced in our meetings to save costs
would be to have employees contribute to the cost of our medical insurance. Effective December 1, we shall change our policy to reflect those costs. During the following weeks, we shall provide you with various coverage options.
9. Temporary Personnel
We shall eliminate temporary personnel, but under extreme situations will be evaluated by Lisa Wolf. Full time personnel will need to be allocated on priority basis.
10. Free Lancers
Except for remote television shoots, the use of freelancers will eliminated. Again, personnel will be cross trained so that deparcments can work to assist one anocher when necessary.
11. Overtime
The Company will no longer pay O.T. for anyone who works through their lunch hour. All O.T. costs will be re-evaluated.
12. E-Mail
Our goal is to discontinue paper memos and to use E-Mail. The E-Mail system is very convenient and efficient. This is only a start. Please continue with your ideas. Work efficiently, plan and don’t be wasteful. I expect that there will be some glitches, but only temporarily.
Thank you.
Oh man, this is history. Tom Buchanan has uploaded Linda McMahon's "profit improvement plan" when WCW was putting them in the dirt.
Everything from "we're getting rid of security at the building" to "you know that water you like? Well that's out."
Amazing reading. pic.twitter.com/2BLNz7invc
— IANdrew Dice Clay (@IANdrewTheGiant) May 3, 2023
