What benevolent (elderly, overweight, and fashion-challenged) boss made a famous hire for a seasonal job that is still talked about every December?
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The hire was made during The Great Depression, when everyone needed a job. The newbie was rumored to drink a bit (which wasn’t true), but the boss clicked with him despite his lack of experience.
It’s unclear whose employment laws prevailed at the time in the workplace at the North Pole, (Canada, Denmark, or Russia), and no one had heard of equal employment opportunity (EEO) back then, but the boss hired the “outcast” for his Transportation Department, even though he had some unusual characteristics, including a red nose—and four legs!
Yes, the boss was Kris Kringle, also known as Santa Claus and St. Nick, and according to The Smithsonian, he “clicked” with the reindeer, Rudolph, when he encountered his unique glowing nose while delivering presents and realized that red light was just what he needed to enhance the safety of his sleigh crew. So he gave Rudolph a job and soon gave him a promotion—to lead the sleigh.
The story began in a holiday giveaway coloring book from Chicago’s Montgomery Ward Company written by one of its advertising copywriters. While at first store executives thought Rudolph’s big red nose would make readers think he was an alcoholic (like W.C. Fields), the feel-good story about a disadvantaged soul getting a job and making good caught on with the public.
A holiday song about Rudolph was recorded by Gene Autry (better known as the singing cowboy), sold 2 million records, and claimed the “best-selling record in history” title for decades.
Motion pictures and TV specials followed, including the addition of an elf character who wants to change professions and become a dentist! (See, there are HR angles to any story—but in the spirit of the holidays, we won’t go into the lack of overtime, iffy safety training, etc., but just enjoy the tale.)
LOL! I’d never heard that Rudolph was suspected of being a drinker. I feel so naive.