In disregard of the staff: organizational change, employee benefits and appraisals.

In disregard of the staff: organizational change, employee benefits and appraisals.


All companies, even the small ones, when deciding to make a new hire, define the job. They put a little bit of time into it, they figure what the requirements will be, the KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities) and take into consideration the financial benefits, the non financial benefits, etc. They put thought into the process because if not, you get what you pay for. An organization may get lucky and hit the HR lottery with a great hire or you end up with well paid, sub par employees who don't care; who are a direct reflection of the company itself. Not good.

In a small disorganization where there are no secrets (yeah, not one) the process becomes even more important. You cannot disregard the feelings of the current employees, their tasks, their years on the job, experience, education and not to mention their current salary if for the sake of the new hire. The new hire is entering enemy territory, a hostile environment, who may or may not last regardless of the salary - and you will still be stuck with the disgruntled bunch you originally started with. Not good, and could have been avoided with a bit of communication.

It is not to say that a new hire does not deserve as many benefits as possible; and not to say that employees are created equal, but when the organization has no employee appraisal methods in place and raises are granted after the grunts and groans of the staff, they are doled out equally regardless of merit, accomplishments, or achievements it cheapens the entire process. Further, it instills in the employee that they are deserving of more money regardless of their errors, attitudes, and mishaps. It is a win-lose, lose-win situation, because at the end of the day, the company lost, the employee won, and no one learned a thing.

With some sort of employee appraisal method the company can better gauge the employee's work and their contributions to the firm (will be on the fast track from being a disorganization to a real organization) and they also position themselves to make better decisions about salary, comp time off, and other benefits that would also improve the quality life of the worker. Happy worker, better treated customers and clients, more productivity, more money made - just win, win, win. All of this winning with a tiny bit of communication and a bit more organization. However, going this route means that everyone is accountable for their actions and the company will have to place someone in charge of the employees/ This person will be an intermediary between management and the workers who can listen to both sides and mediate disputes and grievances. If there were an appraisal method and a clearly defined job description with defined tasks and duties maybe both employee and management wouldn't be as disgruntled and mediators wouldn't be needed with such frequency. It makes sense, doesn't it?

But, who is the person in charge of all this organization? A firm has many options; one being hiring a new employee with their job defined as HR administrator, hiring a consulting HR firm or redefining current roles (i.e. that of your current office manager perhaps?). Regardless of the path taken, a mature firm should have roles defined and catalogued (much like the merchandise but with no need for inventory) so when there are changes, turnover, etc filling the position does not become this arduous task - and no one looks like chickens with heads cut off running around in all directions except the one they should be (I laugh at the mental picture - memories of summer on the farm in DR).

In the end, you cannot disregard the loyal employees you do have good or bad. If changes need to be made - and no one is saying that change is easy - communicate and ensure them that while it will be a hard transition, that the changes are for the better; that the changes will improve their work lives and that of their personal lives, and so many other facets of their life. Employees want to be better (at least that what the modern studies show), they want to work and better the organization, but you have to give them the chance and you have to empower them. Give them the opportunity to "wow" you and you will see that they are more open to change and progress than they were given credit for.

...But like defining the job, the change must be thoroughly thought out and realized before it can be put into action if not you remain with a massive failure and disgruntled employees. Not good.


Good luck!


Sincerely,
~Cher

I want to be Engaged: A Plea for Engagement and Teamwork

Diclaimer: I believe that no job, regardless of the task, deserves anything less than 100% of you. No one can be 100% of everything 100% of the time, but that is why you don’t work alone. That is why you are part of a team. Where your strengths end, your colleague’s begins and it continues with everyone you work with. I believe that (I revel in my naïveté). However, when your team is just as fed up as you are; when they no longer care whether what you need to do gets done or not because their measly benefits have been slowly taken away every year and you have nothing left to show for your 40-45 hours a week of work (not including the commute), you cannot help but be disengaged.

Ready for a Commitment: it is not a ring

I want to be engaged. I don’t need a ring on my finger. You don’t have to make me any promises of a Novo, Lucida, or any style of micro pavé anything from Tiffany's. I already have the house, the yard, the kid, the man; but I don’t have the position that motivates me to be engaged. I used to be so happy to work. I mean, hey I was getting free medical. I was young. I just needed to support my shoe habit, my clothes habit and to help mom with the bills. It was all good. I felt great to wake up in the morning. Many years later, my priorities have changed. I changed, unfortunately, the organization did not change with me.

I no longer wake up happy: I am happy to wake up and be alive and be with the people that I love, but when I enter the building, turn the knob and make my way the anger bubbles. I go through the motions, I no longer care – and that bothers me. Why should I work like this? I want to care again.

The Problem

When the disorganization asks you what is wrong, they ask with concern in their eyes how they can make your work life better, say they will change but then continue doing the very things that upsets the work force, what does it tell the staffers? Why should the staffers care about the things you promise or your business overall? After hearing that things will change all of the time and yet they never do, you can’t help but to become discouraged and absolutely disengaged. You have spent so many years making idle promises and idle threats (to people raised in the outer boroughs of New York City in the 80s no less) that at this point, you have the staffers wanting to collect the unemployment. Was that your goal again?

Align your goals!

I think that no one should work for technicians that don't have any real management background. Just because you can do the job, doesn't mean you know how to run a business. Either that or hire managers to run your business while you work it. M. Gerber (the E-Myth) wrote about it, there is also the Peter Principle and so many other theories that only knowing about management can teach you. Some things you pick up, some things are common sense, some things you have to take the time to learn; but it is those things that can really take your workers from ordinary to extraordinary. Don't you want extraordinary?

I really want to be extraordinary for an organization. I cannot have any less.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

The management of me: A prayer for management

The management of me: A prayer for management

I need to be managed. I know too much, and the funny thing is that I know nothing at all. Some of what I know is about management theory. It's only theory, but here's the thing - it makes sense and I need a leader. A real one.

A manager leads, plans, organizes and controls. The very few times I ask how I should go about something, I ask my supposed leaders and they don't know, it is discouraging. Why won't you make a decision? Okay, maybe it is the first time encountering a problem: let's trouble shoot and genuinely think of a better process. Let's figure out a solution.

Doing things the old way because it is the old way that has worked does not make it a good way or even the right way. But change is scary and fear turns into resistance. If you expect resistance you will be met with resistance and that is just the truth (okay the Ford's wrote about it but only after Kotter).

So, I want to learn. I want the organization to have measures set, to recognize the constant need for change to impose best practice methods in everything they do.

I can't say that I have been totally unhappy with the false sense autonomy and empowerment but now with all that I know: Deming's Theory of Profound Knowledge, for example is really compelling and attractive when management at my current disorganization knows nothing about processes that I have improved; let alone have profound knowledge. What about those forms? What about the spreadsheets, the presentations? To what is my education going to?

A friend posted that in order to receive the glories of God that one must pray for the abundance they do have and not pray over what they are lacking. With that said...

God I thank you for the abundance of ignorance you have surrounded me with, thank you for the disorganization, its cup runnth over.

Truthfully and above all thank you God for all the glories in my own life separate of it all... Not even I can deny that the stupidity of the years has provided me with goodness that You have allowed me to receive. But then what about my ability to stretch my fifteen cents into a dollar? My ability to analyze and come up with solutions to financial, health and personal problems? Okay God, I thank you for giving me to parents with enough wherewithal to teach me, educate me. You gave me to people who didn't come here (the US) with much, didn't command the language and after more than 30 years here still have fluency issues but that too has taught me: language barriers do not diminish meaning or importance in what is being said. They have given me truth, they have instilled fear and they have taught me to know when enough is enough. In that, You will help me.

So... In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Sincerely,
~Cher

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