MemoWatch HP begs staff to PR Compaq deal

Hewlett Packard is rounding up loyal staff to sing the company song and say the proposed merger with Compaq is a very good idea.

The middleware part of the business is really doing its bit. An email on behalf of Bob Bickel, general manager of HP Middleware, is doing the rounds soliciting positive testimony form long serving HP employees.

Titled: Be a Voice for the New HP, simple way you can help it calls on workers to be 'a visible part' of the company's history.

'We want to compile a list of people that are willing to have their names used publicly to show support for the merger.' It then requested names and numbers of years service with HP.

The email went out yesterday, Thursday 13 December, and it needed responses back by 4 PM Eastern Time the same day, so that middleware press officer Sherri Stuart could 'cut/paste/compile' the info 'before end of day!'

HP Middleware is the new name for HP Bluestone. Interestingly HP only bought the Bluestone software business in January 2001 so its not going to find many company time servers there in that division.

HP has polled a sample of its staff a few times for their views on the deal, and says the majority are up for it.

According to ZDNet an internal survey this week revealed that 76 per cent of those quizzed were either "very supportive" or "somewhat supportive" of the deal. This is up from 55 per cent a month ago. HP asked, "How would you describe your level of support for the deal?", but the only possible responses were "very supportive," "somewhat supportive," "not supportive at all" and "unknown."

The "somewhat supportive" class were counted as deal supporters, and the survey gave no room to be "somewhat unsupportive". ®

The memo in full:

Subject: Be a Voice for the New HP, simple way you can help

*********************************************************

TO: ALL HPMD

FROM: BOB BICKEL

*********************************************************

We are seeking to showcase the base of support for the merger that is alive and well inside HP, and ask you to please consider the following request, responding for yourself, with the need to provide just two data points (name, years of service) for use in future communications. Turnaround is tight -- and we'd like to get responses to Sherri Stuart no later than 4 PM Eastern Time, Thursday, December 13, 2001 so we have time to cut/paste/compile before end of day!

We are at a moment in history for our company and our industry, and here's your chance to be a visible part of it. We are looking for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of folks, so spread the news! Apologies to anyone who gets multiple requests, but we need the grass roots to stand up and be counted! Thank you!

THE REQUEST

We want to compile a list of people that are willing to have their names used publicly to show support for the merger. We need just two pieces of information:

1. their names

2. their number of years of service at HP

Kathleen (Kate) Kerr
Senior Operations Specialist
Hewlett-Packard Middleware

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