My three step employee policy manual
Hey Kids!
2011 came and went. Happy New Year! So how are those resolutions going for ya?
I still think the whole resolution thing is pointless and just a setup for failure. My reason: Most people are going to take the same approach they took every other time they failed. It’s like people who follow any diet plan. They tell you the diet “works” and that’s why they’re doing it again. My response is “Why are you still fat if the diet worked?” The diet did NOT work if you couldn’t figure out how to make it work in a way that involved long term weight loss. But go ahead; have a ball again this year; doing it the same way.
Last night I was watching Jay Leno interview Ron Howard. Now for those of you reading this who are members of Toastmasters, you would have had a field day counting all the ums that Ron used. Which goes to prove one thing; you can be an interesting person and provide great entertainment even if you’re not the most polished speaker. Now I’m not picking on Toastmasters; I was a member of a club for a long time; but people spent more time counting ums and ahs instead of helping people become better communicators by focusing on interesting stories and relevant information they could share.
Ron talked about a family tradition for the new year where they sit around a fire and write down on small sheets of paper all the things they’re going to change or get rid of in the coming year. They then tossed them into the fire. Jay asked Ron what was on his papers. Ron’s response was the same things he puts on the paper every year.
Okay Rich, where are you going with this?
People focus on the wrong things too often (immediate weight loss, not long term; ums and ahs instead of killer info). Last week I found myself in an interesting discussion with two managers. One of them, half jokingly, made a comment that her resolution was to get her staff to spend more time working and less time on Facebook and texting. “We have a policy against it” she shared.
Woo-Hoo! You have a freakin policy! I bit my tongue from using words like moron, idiot and out-of-touch.
The other chimed in and proceeded to whine about sloppy work of his employees and seeming more interested in their personal business.
Why don’t you have a policy about providing a great employee experience? Why don’t you have a policy that you’ll provide interesting and challenging work so people won’t have time to play on Facebook or text their every move?
I would want my employees getting each other excited about projects. I would want them getting creative and building a better product; huddling off in a corner doing great things. And since I’m friends with some of those people on Facebook; I would rather not be reading they are picking their nose and scratching their butt because work sucks! Yes, I did read one with those words – and laughed!
When I designed the Talents Recess activity in the RECESSitation Pack it was to help leaders & managers find out who is not being utilized in a way in which they could provide much more value to the organization?
Why don’t you have a policy that promises the talents possessed by your staff will be utilized in a way that will knock the socks off the CEO, stockholders, board or whomever else you’re trying to impress.
Every organization has a fun, creative accountant. Find him or her. See what he or she can offer your product development team.
Employee policies are written as a deterrent to bad behavior. Why are we even considering people will be bad? Most policies immediately limit people’s thinking and don’t allow for new ideas.
So here it is…….for 2011…….the only employee policy manual you need:
- The company promises to provide a great employee experience. Please tell us how we can make it even better. This is not lip service.
- The company promises to provide you with interesting and challenging work. We really do want your ideas to make this happen. This is not lip service.
- The company will find out what secret talents you possess and we will utilize them to ensure 1 & 2 are being met.
Easy. Simple. Got the guts to live by it? Ready to do the work?
See you in two weeks.
