Julie Parker* urges leaders to think twice before introducing rules and protocols that could have unintended consequences.
What stands in the way of your employees delivering great performances for you and your organisation?
There are several reasons why performance by your employees may be below what you want.
Some crucial ones are: Unawareness of employer expectations; insufficient training and support; negative or disengaged attitudes.
However, I have discovered another major cause of a reduction in employee performance: You.
Worse still, you are not even aware you are doing it.
I have witnessed various protocols or rules or systems introduced with quite rational intentions, but actually having a damaging effect on employee performance.
Here are three examples:
Placing restrictions on employee hours:
Some organisations implement strict start and finish times to avoid employees dragging their feet while completing tasks so they get overtime.
Same too for insisting employees take a full hour for lunch.
While I appreciate the intention of the employer to control unnecessary expenses, I have not yet found an organisation whose additional costs when allowing employees to effectively complete their tasks are high enough to justify the drawbacks of this protocol.
Firstly, most employees do not take advantage, so to paint all employees with the same tainted brush is damaging to those who care about their work.
Secondly, restricting the time employees have to properly execute their duties can result in rushed work, mistakes and mishandling important tasks.
Thirdly, you are sending a message to your employees that you do not find their work important enough to devote the necessary time and energy.
Soon, your employees will start to agree with you.
Confining duties:
When an employee requests additional duties, such as a receptionist interested in some management tasks, employers often become concerned they will want to be paid more or become distracted from their regular role.
However, rejecting employee enthusiasm and desire to improve often results in them becoming uninspired and bored.
Negative responses to mistakes:
Despite a conscious awareness that we all slip up at times, some employer responses to employees making mistakes is so negative that employees shy away from doing any more than the bare minimum.
There is no incentive to stand up and perform to a higher level because with it comes the likelihood of a new series of mistakes.
Teams that suffer this type of poor management result in a group of people all trying to blend into the background so as not to be noticed.
Successful business owners and managers understand that there is a possible deeper cost when implementing any protocol that affects employees.
It is important to be curious about these costs so you can modify your systems and foster a happy and productive working environment.
If you find that you are hindering great performances by your employees, it’s time to get out of the way.
* Julie Parker is a trainer in the dental industry after many years as a practitioner. She can be contacted at www.julieparkerpracticesuccess.com.au.
This article first appeared on Julie’s blogsite.
