Tags |
|
|
Write You - Four Things You Should Never Say to Your Employees
Before you consider your next job change or even career change, it's crucial that you look at the kind of lifestyle you want today and in the future. As you determine the course of your career path, you’ll discover that other facets of your life will enter into the picture as well—where you life, how you spend your money, how you spend your free time. This career-planning time is also time to think about life planning. When I meet with my clients for the first time, before I ask them what they want to do, I ask them what kind of life they want to live.Even in carefree Hawaii, there’s an expression – Pau Hana—meaning “after work,” Until the last decade, most of our lives were built around work and after work. It always seemed upside-down to me that our society encourages us to work long hours at something we hate in order to get a few hours to do something we really love. When I grew up in the Midwest, it was the highest of compliments to be referred to as a ‘good’ worker or ‘hard’ worker.Our days are typically divided into getting ready for work, going to work, working, working lunches, working late, going home from work, dinner and doing the work we
It’s through transitions that often the small changes create a ripple effect that goes unnoticed by management, but becomes the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back. Throughout this conversion several other small changes had occurred and there were no provisions put into place to monitor the effects on the employees.
The roller ramp that the boxes slid down had been shortened about 15 feet, the wooden skids were now made with oak instead of pine, thus making them heaver to maneuver. There was a shortage of forklift drivers and one person was stacking two converged lines instead of one person per line. Often the worker even had to pull the skid from the line with a forklift. (God forbid if anyone took the extra forklift.)
Eventually a woman named Janice had an idea for a partial solution and the confidence to approach the foreman about the situation. Unfortunately Janice got stomped with one of his three favorite aphorisms: "No one else is complaining." Although this was certainly true, the foreman was oblivious to the fact that another employee, was going home every evening, soaking in a tub, loading herself with medicine and going straight to bed. She was afraid to complain.
Just a few months later, the same employee was off because of headaches and tendonitis. The tendency to avoid the problem by getting rid of the complaining worker resulted in lost ti
Small businesses usually have a tough time competing with the big firms that have huge resources and can spend tons of money on advertisements. Small businesses usually have to work on a very small budget for advertisements, usually spending 2 to 5% of the gross sales. Thus, they have to have very good marketing and advertising strategies and develop a fail-proof plan to increase their reach and get good ROI on the amount they spend on advertisements.Enterprising and creative small businesses have developed skills that make it possible for them to advertise using a minimal amount of money yet have astounding reach and response. The main ingredient for their success is to use frequent, consistent, repetitive, and inexpensive advertisements that constantly keep their firms visible and generate new customers regularly. The proven direct approach strategy works best usually, but measuring response rate of any advertising tactic is necessary to determine which strategy has the best ROI.The firms have to be very clear about their target market and the message they want to get across. Businesses must develop quality ads within their budget and track and moni
Look at the list below as if you were taking a test. How many times have you said:
"There's nothing else I can do."
"It's always been that way."
"No one else is complaining."
"If you don't like it, find another place to work."
Why would a manager use any of these statements? Basically because he or she feels powerless and it gets rid of the complaining employee—especially when there is no known solution in sight.
Phrases like these become "quick fixes" ending the discomfort momentarily but at a high price. Before using these statements again in the future ask yourself these questions?
1. Am I solving problems by making this statement?
2. Am I respecting my employee as someone to be valued?
3. Am I representing myself as someone who is open and approachable?
4. Do I sound defensive or self-righteous?
5. Am I empowering this employee to take an active or a passive role?
When employees complain, there is a better way. Begin by using communication to empower employees to be a part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
There's Nothing I can Do.
When you say to your complaining employee, “There’s nothing I can do,” you are really communicating, “there is nothing I am willing to do.” Don’t expect to keep abreast of problems in your department if that is your mantra. Why should an employee ever come to you if your response is “there’s nothing I can do?”
A more empowering approach is to ask a question: “What do you see as some opportunities to address this problem?” That gives the impression that you are considering their thoughts and feelings and entering into partnership to find a solution. What is the answer for those employees that like to vent? How do you support their viewpoints without encouraging them to constantly pound on your door with some complaint?
To reduce this tendency, you must make them accountable in a non-threatening way. Ask for their input or suggest another meeting with the expectation that they come up with at least a part of the solution. The result is a more thoughtful employee who is willing to consider solutions before ever presenting problems. Avoid the inclination to let the situation hang without another meeting. Set a time for the next meeting and follow up as you would with any other professional. Don’t slam the door by saying, “ it’s always been that way.”
It's Always Been That Way
The statement, "it's always been that way" suggests it (what ever the situation or problem is,) should or will continue to be that way.It is a poor excuse and strips the employee of hope or empowerment—besides, it is a terrible argument. History reminds us that it’s natural to look for better ways and yet at the same time most of us resist change unless it benefits us. If the employee is complaining about a particular situation it is because s/he believes there is some change that could make the situation more beneficial. Are you, as the manager the one resisting change?
Managers, who move up from the bottom, often do not truly understand the working conditions and how they have changed since the time that they were on the bottom rung, therefore they falsely assume that working conditions are the same for their subordinates as they were for them.
In reality, several things have probably changed. People are doing more with less,technology has changed, or the time has lessened while demands have increased, thus it’s a false statement to say,"it has always been that way."
Understand that perhaps you are simply unaware of the changes. One way to gain more insight is to ask for examples as to how things have changed for the better and for the worse. This teaches employees to develop critical and objective thinking. This type of question unites you with your subordinate by talking about the changes and how some changes are subtle and hard to recognize unless you are directly in the position it affects.
Even if you haven’t heard a complaint from anyone else, resist the inclination to condemn the employee by suggesting that he is the only one with a problem.Realize he may be the only one with enough courage to confront the problem and there may be others who wish they knew how to complain.
No One Else Is Complaining
Although no one else has stepped forward to complain, it really doesn’t mean anything. Someone has to be the first to register a complaint. Instead of saying, "Well, you’re the only one complaining—I haven’t heard a peep from anyone else," A better response is, "Do you believe others feel the same way?"
Although the employee can't legally speak for the other employees, you are asking about his perceptions and if his perceptions have merit, isn't it better to really know what your employees think than to put your head in the sand?
One example from the production lines comes to mind:The department was in a transition, waiting for a new automatic stacker that was designed to handle the stacking and wrapping of two production lines. In the meantime, one worker handled the demands of two lines while for over a year they waited for the ‘robot.’ The pallets came out every 10 minutes and by the time worker was able to wrap, tag and pull another skid down to begin the stacking, there were about 15 boxes piled up and ready to jam in the code-dater.
It’s through transitions that often the small changes create a ripple effect that goes unnoticed by management, but becomes the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back. Throughout this conversion several other small changes had occurred and there were no provisions put into place to monitor the effects on the employees.
The roller ramp that the boxes slid down had been shortened about 15 feet, the wooden skids were now made with oak instead of pine, thus making them heaver to maneuver. There was a shortage of forklift drivers and one person was stacking two converged lines instead of one person per line. Often the worker even had to pull the skid from the line with a forklift. (God forbid if anyone took the extra forklift.)
Eventually a woman named Janice had an idea for a partial solution and the confidence to approach the foreman about the situation. Unfortunately Janice got stomped with one of his three favorite aphorisms: "No one else is complaining." Although this was certainly true, the foreman was oblivious to the fact that another employee, was going home every evening, soaking in a tub, loading herself with medicine and going straight to bed. She was afraid to complain.
Just a few months later, the same employee was off because of headaches and tendonitis. The tendency to avoid the problem by getting rid of the complaining worker resulted in lost tim
When you ask people to give you a list of exciting careers, accounting is never near the top. The accounting career field tends to draw the sedentary folks: steady, analytical types who value security above all else. You're basically there to keep the wheels of business turning; a plumber directing the flow of money instead of water.However, the growing shape of the global business market and the scandals wracking the business world have highlighted the increasing need for a rare breed of accountant; the forensic accountant is either an internal or external auditor who is brought in to investigate the scene of a fraud, bankruptcy, securities scandal, or other conflicted situation and prepare a report identifying what happened. It is called a forensic function primarily because it's results can be used in a court of law.What's the job like?There are actually many scenarios in which a forensic accountant might be needed: disputes and litigation, insurance claims, personal injury claims, construction audits, insurance fraud, royalty audits, or Wall Street scandals are some of the specialties in this field. Most accounting firms have a cabinet of f
There's Nothing I can Do.
When you say to your complaining employee, “There’s nothing I can do,” you are really communicating, “there is nothing I am willing to do.” Don’t expect to keep abreast of problems in your department if that is your mantra. Why should an employee ever come to you if your response is “there’s nothing I can do?”
A more empowering approach is to ask a question: “What do you see as some opportunities to address this problem?” That gives the impression that you are considering their thoughts and feelings and entering into partnership to find a solution. What is the answer for those employees that like to vent? How do you support their viewpoints without encouraging them to constantly pound on your door with some complaint?
To reduce this tendency, you must make them accountable in a non-threatening way. Ask for their input or suggest another meeting with the expectation that they come up with at least a part of the solution. The result is a more thoughtful employee who is willing to consider solutions before ever presenting problems. Avoid the inclination to let the situation hang without another meeting. Set a time for the next meeting and follow up as you would with any other professional. Don’t slam the door by saying, “ it’s always been that way.”
It's Always Been That Way
The statement, "it's always been that way" suggests it (what ever the situation or problem is,) should or will continue to be that way.It is a poor excuse and strips the employee of hope or empowerment—besides, it is a terrible argument. History reminds us that it’s natural to look for better ways and yet at the same time most of us resist change unless it benefits us. If the employee is complaining about a particular situation it is because s/he believes there is some change that could make the situation more beneficial. Are you, as the manager the one resisting change?
Managers, who move up from the bottom, often do not truly understand the working conditions and how they have changed since the time that they were on the bottom rung, therefore they falsely assume that working conditions are the same for their subordinates as they were for them.
In reality, several things have probably changed. People are doing more with less,technology has changed, or the time has lessened while demands have increased, thus it’s a false statement to say,"it has always been that way."
Understand that perhaps you are simply unaware of the changes. One way to gain more insight is to ask for examples as to how things have changed for the better and for the worse. This teaches employees to develop critical and objective thinking. This type of question unites you with your subordinate by talking about the changes and how some changes are subtle and hard to recognize unless you are directly in the position it affects.
Even if you haven’t heard a complaint from anyone else, resist the inclination to condemn the employee by suggesting that he is the only one with a problem.Realize he may be the only one with enough courage to confront the problem and there may be others who wish they knew how to complain.
No One Else Is Complaining
Although no one else has stepped forward to complain, it really doesn’t mean anything. Someone has to be the first to register a complaint. Instead of saying, "Well, you’re the only one complaining—I haven’t heard a peep from anyone else," A better response is, "Do you believe others feel the same way?"
Although the employee can't legally speak for the other employees, you are asking about his perceptions and if his perceptions have merit, isn't it better to really know what your employees think than to put your head in the sand?
One example from the production lines comes to mind:The department was in a transition, waiting for a new automatic stacker that was designed to handle the stacking and wrapping of two production lines. In the meantime, one worker handled the demands of two lines while for over a year they waited for the ‘robot.’ The pallets came out every 10 minutes and by the time worker was able to wrap, tag and pull another skid down to begin the stacking, there were about 15 boxes piled up and ready to jam in the code-dater.
It’s through transitions that often the small changes create a ripple effect that goes unnoticed by management, but becomes the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back. Throughout this conversion several other small changes had occurred and there were no provisions put into place to monitor the effects on the employees.
The roller ramp that the boxes slid down had been shortened about 15 feet, the wooden skids were now made with oak instead of pine, thus making them heaver to maneuver. There was a shortage of forklift drivers and one person was stacking two converged lines instead of one person per line. Often the worker even had to pull the skid from the line with a forklift. (God forbid if anyone took the extra forklift.)
Eventually a woman named Janice had an idea for a partial solution and the confidence to approach the foreman about the situation. Unfortunately Janice got stomped with one of his three favorite aphorisms: "No one else is complaining." Although this was certainly true, the foreman was oblivious to the fact that another employee, was going home every evening, soaking in a tub, loading herself with medicine and going straight to bed. She was afraid to complain.
Just a few months later, the same employee was off because of headaches and tendonitis. The tendency to avoid the problem by getting rid of the complaining worker resulted in lost ti
ISO 9000 is a vastly popular set of standards accepted by businesses and consumers worldwide. ISO 9000 is a method by which businesses can monitor the quality of their customer service as well as the quality of their products or services. Generally speaking, there are three quality standards within ISO 9000:2000, ISO 9001:2000, and ISO 9004:2000. ISO 9001:2000 presents requirements, while ISO 9000:2000 and ISO 9004:2000 present guidelines. This set of standards refers to the quality of the management process, not the product or service itself.In order for businesses to develop quality standards, they must first recognize and express the areas in which quality control is needed. After recognizing what changes need to take place, they must implement the standards by updating and managing their new quality processes. They should develop documentation to implement the new system and create documents that outline the nature of the company. A quality system manual should also be developed to delineate procedures, how processes interact, and to define the new program. Additionally, the business must control the quality of system documents and update quality system
The statement, "it's always been that way" suggests it (what ever the situation or problem is,) should or will continue to be that way.It is a poor excuse and strips the employee of hope or empowerment—besides, it is a terrible argument. History reminds us that it’s natural to look for better ways and yet at the same time most of us resist change unless it benefits us. If the employee is complaining about a particular situation it is because s/he believes there is some change that could make the situation more beneficial. Are you, as the manager the one resisting change?
Managers, who move up from the bottom, often do not truly understand the working conditions and how they have changed since the time that they were on the bottom rung, therefore they falsely assume that working conditions are the same for their subordinates as they were for them.
In reality, several things have probably changed. People are doing more with less,technology has changed, or the time has lessened while demands have increased, thus it’s a false statement to say,"it has always been that way."
Understand that perhaps you are simply unaware of the changes. One way to gain more insight is to ask for examples as to how things have changed for the better and for the worse. This teaches employees to develop critical and objective thinking. This type of question unites you with your subordinate by talking about the changes and how some changes are subtle and hard to recognize unless you are directly in the position it affects.
Even if you haven’t heard a complaint from anyone else, resist the inclination to condemn the employee by suggesting that he is the only one with a problem.Realize he may be the only one with enough courage to confront the problem and there may be others who wish they knew how to complain.
No One Else Is Complaining
Although no one else has stepped forward to complain, it really doesn’t mean anything. Someone has to be the first to register a complaint. Instead of saying, "Well, you’re the only one complaining—I haven’t heard a peep from anyone else," A better response is, "Do you believe others feel the same way?"
Although the employee can't legally speak for the other employees, you are asking about his perceptions and if his perceptions have merit, isn't it better to really know what your employees think than to put your head in the sand?
One example from the production lines comes to mind:The department was in a transition, waiting for a new automatic stacker that was designed to handle the stacking and wrapping of two production lines. In the meantime, one worker handled the demands of two lines while for over a year they waited for the ‘robot.’ The pallets came out every 10 minutes and by the time worker was able to wrap, tag and pull another skid down to begin the stacking, there were about 15 boxes piled up and ready to jam in the code-dater.
It’s through transitions that often the small changes create a ripple effect that goes unnoticed by management, but becomes the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back. Throughout this conversion several other small changes had occurred and there were no provisions put into place to monitor the effects on the employees.
The roller ramp that the boxes slid down had been shortened about 15 feet, the wooden skids were now made with oak instead of pine, thus making them heaver to maneuver. There was a shortage of forklift drivers and one person was stacking two converged lines instead of one person per line. Often the worker even had to pull the skid from the line with a forklift. (God forbid if anyone took the extra forklift.)
Eventually a woman named Janice had an idea for a partial solution and the confidence to approach the foreman about the situation. Unfortunately Janice got stomped with one of his three favorite aphorisms: "No one else is complaining." Although this was certainly true, the foreman was oblivious to the fact that another employee, was going home every evening, soaking in a tub, loading herself with medicine and going straight to bed. She was afraid to complain.
Just a few months later, the same employee was off because of headaches and tendonitis. The tendency to avoid the problem by getting rid of the complaining worker resulted in lost ti
Does business branding play a significant role in your marketing campaign? Again, as in other articles, I like to begin with the philosophy behind the subject matter. This establishes the general feeling behind the need for the same.A business decides to employ branding techniques simply to reach their target market. However the philosophy that determines which market and under what exposure is the interesting part.Branding a product means that it must be produced with the customers in mind. But which customers and how to decide the branding necessary is the problem?For a start it is essential for a business to work with its strengths and promote them accordingly, e.g.what is the organisation good at and what are its beliefs?These then have to be tailored towards customer requirements and ultimately to answer the vital question, “what makes them buy?”Market research is obviously needed for this and during this process one must ask customers what they enjoy about doing business with your organisation.During this process, it is important to evaluate whether or not the company’s products meet the needs of the customers-if the
Even if you haven’t heard a complaint from anyone else, resist the inclination to condemn the employee by suggesting that he is the only one with a problem.Realize he may be the only one with enough courage to confront the problem and there may be others who wish they knew how to complain.
No One Else Is Complaining
Although no one else has stepped forward to complain, it really doesn’t mean anything. Someone has to be the first to register a complaint. Instead of saying, "Well, you’re the only one complaining—I haven’t heard a peep from anyone else," A better response is, "Do you believe others feel the same way?"
Although the employee can't legally speak for the other employees, you are asking about his perceptions and if his perceptions have merit, isn't it better to really know what your employees think than to put your head in the sand?
One example from the production lines comes to mind:The department was in a transition, waiting for a new automatic stacker that was designed to handle the stacking and wrapping of two production lines. In the meantime, one worker handled the demands of two lines while for over a year they waited for the ‘robot.’ The pallets came out every 10 minutes and by the time worker was able to wrap, tag and pull another skid down to begin the stacking, there were about 15 boxes piled up and ready to jam in the code-dater.
It’s through transitions that often the small changes create a ripple effect that goes unnoticed by management, but becomes the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back. Throughout this conversion several other small changes had occurred and there were no provisions put into place to monitor the effects on the employees.
The roller ramp that the boxes slid down had been shortened about 15 feet, the wooden skids were now made with oak instead of pine, thus making them heaver to maneuver. There was a shortage of forklift drivers and one person was stacking two converged lines instead of one person per line. Often the worker even had to pull the skid from the line with a forklift. (God forbid if anyone took the extra forklift.)
Eventually a woman named Janice had an idea for a partial solution and the confidence to approach the foreman about the situation. Unfortunately Janice got stomped with one of his three favorite aphorisms: "No one else is complaining." Although this was certainly true, the foreman was oblivious to the fact that another employee, was going home every evening, soaking in a tub, loading herself with medicine and going straight to bed. She was afraid to complain.
Just a few months later, the same employee was off because of headaches and tendonitis. The tendency to avoid the problem by getting rid of the complaining worker resulted in lost ti
Most entrepreneurs would not want to meet me at a party.Here are just a few of the questions I'd hit you with:What's your business? How are you different from your competitors? Where do you find your customers? Advertising, word-of-mouth, a referral system, joint ventures? Do you have a back-end? How much do you want to earn? By when? Are you making progress? How do you know? Is what you want to accomplish even possible?Why am I grilling you with all these questions? Let me explain with an example.Let's say your goal is to make more money. Okay, then here's how: Close your business today so you don't make any sales. Open your business tomorrow and make one sale for $1.Goal achieved, right? Technically, yes. But that's not really what you meant by making more money, is it?Before you can ever hope to accomplish your business goals, you must know in detail what those goals are in the first place.S.M.A.R.T. Goals for EntrepreneursThe S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting technique is popular because of its simplicity and power. Clarify your goals according to the following criteria:Specificxes piled up and ready to jam in the code-dater.
It’s through transitions that often the small changes create a ripple effect that goes unnoticed by management, but becomes the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back. Throughout this conversion several other small changes had occurred and there were no provisions put into place to monitor the effects on the employees.
The roller ramp that the boxes slid down had been shortened about 15 feet, the wooden skids were now made with oak instead of pine, thus making them heaver to maneuver. There was a shortage of forklift drivers and one person was stacking two converged lines instead of one person per line. Often the worker even had to pull the skid from the line with a forklift. (God forbid if anyone took the extra forklift.)
Eventually a woman named Janice had an idea for a partial solution and the confidence to approach the foreman about the situation. Unfortunately Janice got stomped with one of his three favorite aphorisms: "No one else is complaining." Although this was certainly true, the foreman was oblivious to the fact that another employee, was going home every evening, soaking in a tub, loading herself with medicine and going straight to bed. She was afraid to complain.
Just a few months later, the same employee was off because of headaches and tendonitis. The tendency to avoid the problem by getting rid of the complaining worker resulted in lost time from another injured employee. What a shame that the complaint wasn’t investigated or handled correctly.
Perhaps the reason no one else complained is because they knew what they would hear: “If you don’t like it, find another place to work.”
If You Don't Like it, Find Another Place to Work.
With the massive changes occurring in the workplace, compounded with the low unemployment rate, the practical solution isn’t telling employees to hit the road. Other than the fact that this kind of statement lacks creativity; it’s just plain rude.Condescending statements reek of disrespect and suggests that you don’t care about your employee. I know of one particular example where the statement was similar: “I didn’t ask you to work here.” Often these kinds of statements are said in anger or sarcasm and justified by some statement like, “well it’s the truth.”
The kind of logic that justifies these kinds of statements is the same kind of logic that says grub worms are edible.
In other words, just because something is edible, doesn’t mean you want to eat it. Just because something is true doesn’t mean it’s relevant to the situation. When in doubt, use the five-point checklist. You fail if you can’t pass every one.
•Am I solving problems by making this statement?
•Am I respecting my employee as someone to be valued?
•Am I representing myself as someone who is open and approachable?
•Do I sound defensive or self-righteous?
•Am I empowering this employee to take an active or a passive role?
If you want employees to take ownership it’s up to you as their leader to empower them to take responsibility. Employees have to be comfortable confronting problems and coming up with potential solutions. You, as their leader have the power to help them find the solutions, articulate the changes and develop the courage to point out what everyone else is thinking. When you create this kind of work climate, you’ll increase your own awareness, find workable solutions and you won’t have to tell them to find another place to work because they will be too valuable right where they are.
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.writeyou.net/article/22721/writeyou-Four-Things-You-Should-Never-Say-to-Your-Employees.html">Four Things You Should Never Say to Your Employees</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.writeyou.net/article/22721/writeyou-Four-Things-You-Should-Never-Say-to-Your-Employees.html]Four Things You Should Never Say to Your Employees[/url]
Related Articles:
Research Your Next Employer: Get the Job
Fundraising With Custom Silicone Bracelets
Bookmark it:
|