Scenario 1: Your team’s performance is average, ordinary, lackluster; they seem to do just enough to get by. They have to be constantly watched even when performing basic task. You’re tired and need a break, but you’re afraid to take a vacation and leave them on their own, who knows what you will meet when you return.
Scenario 2: You’ve worked hard to make your business a success and finally all of that hard work is beginning to payoff. So you hire additional staff to take some of the weight of your shoulder and move the business forward. But even with additional help you are still working just as long and just as hard. This “dream team” is not reducing your workload and providing you with the relief/help you’d hope for.
Do any of these scenarios sound familiar, because whenever I talk to business owners and managers I hear the same chorus over and over again, “They are being paid, so why don’t employees do their jobs? Why won’t they do what they are supposed to do?
This is a great question, but can you handle the answer?
Would it shock you to learn that a survey conducted by The Gallup Organization discovered that approximately 60% of employees come to work and do the bare minimum, just enough so as not to get fired. Gallup also learned that only 20% of employees actually come to work with the intent to make a difference? Horrifying isn’t it?
But why don’t employees perform better, why don’t they do what they are supposed to do? One of the first reasons that typically come to mind is that the employee is just lazy and lack motivation, or that they may not be a good fit for the job. You consider termination or transferring the employee to another department when the reality is the employee is simply NOT-ENGAGED!
According to The Gallup Management Journal there are three types of employees:
1. ENGAGED - employees who work with a passion and feel a profound connection to their company. They drive innovation and move the organization forward.
2. NOT-ENGAGED - employees who have essentially “check out”. They are sleepwalking through their workday, putting time – but no energy or passion into their work.
3. ACTIVELY DISENGAGED - employees who aren’t just unhappy at work; they are busy acting out their unhappiness. Every day, these workers undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish.
It is also interesting to note that employees who are NOT-ENGAGED or ACTIVELY DISENGAGED are not only less productive and disruptive, but are also inclined to show less loyalty to the organization, provide inferior customer service and may “act out “their negative attitudes.
What causes this disengagement? There are a myriad of reasons, (loss of trust and confidence in management, personal problems, no advancement opportunities, there is no reward for doing a great job, policies and procedures, etc.) but more often than not, the road always seem to lead back to ineffective management; You know what they say - people don’t leave organizations, they leave bad managers!
Feedback from employees on why they have “checked out” and were not doing what they should be doing also include:
• I was never told why I should do it – Yes employees need a why! Gone are the days of “you don’t need to know why, just do as you’re told”, “because I said so” etc. Smart managers know that people will only do what you tell them to do as long as you are around, but if you want them to commit to that behaviour even in your absence, you must give them a very powerful / important reason (to them ) to do so. A great example of this can be seen on the television program “Intervention” where drug addicts will not take steps to overcome their additions to improve their health and quality of life, but will so do for the benefit of their children. Take the time to explain why employees should do their jobs. Outline the benefits to the organization for doing their jobs, as well as the detriments to the organization if they don’t do what they are suppose to do. Take the time to explain how these tasks affect other departments, customers and the mission of the organization. Also outline the WIIFM (What’s in it for me) personal benefits / drawbacks that the employee will receive / not receive for poor performance. eg. Financial reward, strong personal brand, increased knowledge, promotion. The flip side (obviously) lack of all of the fore-mentioned.
• 60% of employees say they feel ignored or taken for granted – “Everyday employees make the choice to either engage or not engage their talents in serving customers and the organization. Yet many managers still regard employees as interchangeable units of cost. The challenge is to inform and motivate, and many in management are not up to it”. Stephen Manallack – author You Can Communicate
Reasons employees feel devalued or unrecognized include: not being treated with respect by management, not having a voice within the organization, lack of feedback from managers, no recognition for a job well done, having to work in unacceptable physical work environments, not receiving the necessary resources to perform the job and inequality in the pay for same/similar work. The need to feel valued is a basic human desire that cannot be overlooked if you wish to improve performance. So is feedback. As I watched the basketball game on Sunday night I became a stronger advocate for coaching and feedback. A powerful lesson reinforced was that if you want your employees to be at their best that you will have to give them feedback more than once a year! Can you imagine what would happen if coach Phil Jackson showed up to the game and said “Guys just go out there and play. I’ll watch from the sidelines and at the end of the game or worst at the end of the playoffs I’ll evaluate your performance!” How many ways can you spell disaster!
• There is no negative consequence for poor performing – As a manager:
o Do you know of employees who do not follow procedures or rules and has not been doing so for years?
o Have you ever been forced to accept (into your department) a rejected, difficult, uncooperative employee from another department?
o Do you have employees who refuse to perform certain parts of their job, simply because they do not like it?
o When you try to discipline an employee for non- performance are you forced to back off by upper management, a Member of Parliament or the union?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions then you are an enabler and should be charge with “aiding and abetting poor performance within your organization”. Just as there are rules that govern criminal behaviour in society, there must be rules that govern an organization. When the rules of society are broken there is a price to pay – perpetrators go to jail! In an organization willful perpetrators must also be punished – privileges must be denied, demotions with salary cut should be enforced and when all else fails willful poor performers should be terminated. Remember you can’t complain about the things you tolerate - Do something!
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