The entirety of the Nordstrom employee handbook reportedly fits on a single 5×8 card and involves exactly one rule.

While it’s said that this card is just a symbolism of a bigger handbook and that it might even be a myth, this rule is all any good company with good employees ever needed.

Here is Rule #1: “Use best judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules.”

When I used to talk about this rule with others in the past, the feedback was often – “Nordstrom can say that because they are a big company, have high margins, charge a premium, are very profitable, etc.”

It took a while, a lot of noise online, and even some boycotting for big brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Starbucks, etc. to shut down their operations in Russia. 

Many other big and small businesses shut shop in Russia as soon as the war started in Ukraine. 

But why didn’t these big companies do so right away?

Aren’t they big companies that have high margins, charge a premium, are very profitable, etc.?

I agree that the bigger the company, the bigger the consequence, not just impact.

But we don’t need to go to the edge of a world war to be forced to use our best judgment.