Contented Cows Give Better Milk (1998)

Contented Cows Give Better Milk

The Plain Truth About Employee relations and Your Bottom Line

By Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden

This classic book is out of print

This is where it all began. The original Contented Cows Give Better Milk, published in 1998, was the first book to make the bottom line business case that if you treat people right, you’ll make more money.

In it, we compared the business results of six well-known employers of choice against six that were, er…um… shall we say… not so distinguished. What we found – that the so-called “Contented Cow” companies blew the “Common Cows” away in terms of revenue, growth, profit, employee turnover, and just about every other metric you can name.

We then went on to describe in detail how dozens of organizations, from the famous to the obscure, created far more wealth, and attracted and retained far more talent, than their competitors.

After selling tens of thousands of copies, this book was retired, to make way for its successor, Contented Cows STILL Give Better Milk.

We’ve held onto a few copies, and although it’s no longer generally available through ordinary retail channels, we’re told you can still find a copy here and there, from online and traditional booksellers. 

Five out of five cows agree, businesses do not succeed or fail, people do! The secret to success is no secret at all. If you want to build your bottom line, then you need to take care of your front line. This book will open your eyes to the truth about how organizations should treat people who take care of business.
S. Truett Cathy (1921 - 2014)
Founder, Chick-fil-A, Inc.