Zappos, a company that sells shoes, is something else. No, really, they do things that many companies wouldn’t dare do to their employees. What is this you ask? Well, they pay them to quit! Yeah, that’s right, Zappos bribes their employees with $1,000 to quit their jobs. It might sound odd, but it really does work.

I learned about this company and its habits around a month ago[1. Unfortunately, Jason Calacanis brought this story up on his blog before I did], and it was a complete head-scratcher at first. I thought Zappos was just being nice when they needed to let someone go, but no, the company actually coaxes their trainees with cash to—in a way—test if they really want to be a part of the company. Talk about pressure!

Think about it: if anyone had questions about why they were working at a particular company, walking away with a grand could be quite the offer to accept. On the contrary, if that person was really determined to work for this company, it should be a no-brainer to reject the offer immediately. It is not rocket science, but it is highly possible to eliminate some bad apples within a company’s staff.

The result is a work environment with employees that are, potentially, more dedicated and loyal to their employer. This could also lead to having staff that is happier and more motivated to do their work.

I only wonder why more companies don’t put this into action. It seems like a brilliant idea, and I think people should work jobs where they are happy—not miserable as can be. Now if this applied to Bank of America and Burger King, the world (or at least my world) would be a much better place.