We expect much from our employees. Work long hours but still make no mistakes. Come in on weekends or holidays and remember to treat every customer as your friend or family in order to provide the highest in customer service.
Seems pretty reasonable, right?
But do we believe that each of our employees takes their job as seriously as we do?
If so, this may be a big mistake on our part.
Not every employee is happy with their job or will go to the ends of the earth in order to fulfill the needs of the company. Many just want a paycheck, we must understand this.
Just as there are tall people and short people, fast people and slow people, our employees are just as diverse and their work ethic and loyalty to their job can be reflected in many of the same ways.
We must realize this but at the same time we must do all we can to supply the tools and training to all employees in order to provide the nurturing atmosphere necessary for those that do wish to grow.
It’s in our benefit as managers or owners to make sure we are not so blinded with our own ambition that we fail to identify those that can help us achieve our goals.
It would be shameful if we cast aside the raw talent of those fresh-faced recruits without helping them grow.
We can’t do it all alone, great staff with a positive attitude is the key to success. But we can’t be a “slave driver” focused only on what what we need. The employees need things too!
We must realize that not all want to put their job before their personal life, that’s fine, it’s a part of business.
As managers, we must allow our staff to breathe, to take time off for their family, to appreciate all their efforts with a hard earned vacation or granted off on a special day. Usually when we do, our employees come back re-energized and ready to tackle the work challenges ahead.
Remember: “it’s not personal, it’s just business”.
But, business, for most non-management staff, is not their life; it’s their job/career. We can make it business…but not at the expense of being “personal”.
How do you keep your employees focused on the job but still allow them the ‘quality of life’ they deserve? Leave a comment and add to the discussion.
