Has this happened to you? Someone is stealing, or sleeping every day on the job or taking drugs at work, or… whatever, and people know. And, no one does anything about it, and no one tells you. When it comes out, someone will say that they thought you knew and that you were tolerating it. REALLY? What would make them think that?
What can you do to get more connected?
Are there real consequences for not following company procedures?
Are there differences in the enforcement of policies by department, or by position in the company?
Do family members get special treatment?
Let’s start with getting more connected.
Do you talk with people at the company informally, and on a regular basis?
- Many leaders have a “Lunch with the Leader “monthly, and team members can sign up or representatives are assigned to go.
- Some eat lunch in the lunch room a couple of times a week so they are approachable and people get used to talking to them informally. They also hear the conversations around them.
- Some have long time employees that they have known since the early days who they check in with. They get straight-“er” feedback from them then from fearful newbies.
The next 3 address difference in treatment at your organization:
Are there real consequences for not following company procedures?
Are there differences in the enforcement of policies by department, or by position in the company?
Do family members get special treatment?
Accountability and equal treatment can cut out a lot of bad behavior. If someone gets special treatment, others may justify bad behavior as equaling the score. While there is plenty of room to address these behaviors even if there is some unequal treatment, it makes it more likely to happen. Energy that could be focused on sales, production, and customer service, gets distracted into managing the disruption. Get with your senior team and take a hard look at those questions together. Come up with some immediate action steps to create both the appearance and the practice of fairness.
This week,be more clear that work rules and procedures apply to everyone. And, get more connected with your people. You will learn some new things about your organization, and build more loyalty in the process.
Next week some questions you can ask when you meet with your team.
Illustration courtesy of:http://blog.onlineclock.net/sleeping-on-the-job/