Report: New GM program gives more employees chance to sample company offerings

Let's file this one under proof of a culture shift at General Motors. Until recently, only GM management types have been allowed to take the General's vehicles home with them. However, a new scheme called "The Company Vehicle Ambassador Program" lets regular Renaissance Center employees take loaner cars with them when they clock out. So far, about 500 GM employees have opted into the program.

Why the shift in policy? According to the Detroit Free Press, the program "is part of an expanding push within GM to get employees excited about its products and help them become better representatives of the company." This makes sense on two levels: One, having more knowledgeable employees is never a bad thing, regardless of the business.

Two, people don't simply leave work and run straight to their garage. They go shopping. They go out to eat. They run carpools. They go to church. Meaning that GM's new products will be seen around town. One employee described her experience with the new Chevy Camaro, "[drawing] cheers from neighborhood children every time she drove by and became quite the attraction at holiday parties." In other words, free marketing. Good on you, GM.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]