Editor's note: Being a good employer is
more than just handing out employee assignments and writing the checks.
Good employers also manage their employees and that doesn't just mean setting
the schedule. Being a great employer means understanding their wants and
desires, their capabilities, and giving them what they need to be GREAT
employees.
If you truly have the desire
to be a GREAT employer, Jan B. King's article will help you look at your
employees from a new perspective. Analyze your employees attitudes,
abilities, and talents - and then help them to help you.
Are you in AWE of your Employees?
by: Jan B. King
Employers have become so concerned about seeming “unfair” or worse
becoming the victims of lawsuits by unhappy ex-employees that they’ve stopped
requiring minimum standards of employees. This can only lead to poor individual
and eventually poor company performance. Your best employee performers will
resent the fact that you use company money to pay people who aren’t up to
standard and will reduce their own level of performance or leave.
Take back the power in your workplace and set standards of performance. How
to fairly assess each of your employees? I use a simple three part measurement
tool with the acronym AWE or Able – Willing – Engaged.
Is the Employee Able?
This is the minimum standard of employment or continued employment. Does the
employee have the basic job skills? Does he or she also have the people skills
to be able to work effectively? Does the employee have family or personal issues
that make it impossible for the employee to work the expected hours? Does the
employee have any emotional or physical health issues that make it impossible to
do the job effectively? Is he or she lacking any problem attitudes, such as
racism or sexism that make them unable to be open to customer or co-worker
interactions.
If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you should move the
employee to another job where the issues aren’t going to affect their
competency or transition them out of the company.
Is the Employee Willing?
The next level up that is also a make or break issues – is the employee
willing to do the work available? Does the employee seem happy to be at work?
Does he or she genuinely care about the welfare of customers, co-worker, and the
company in general? Does the employee get to work well-rested and prepared so
that he or she is able to be fully present and concentrate? Does the employee
gracefully take on assigned tasks? Does the employee arrive at meetings on time
and prepared? Is the employee open to dialogue and answering questions related
to his or her work?
If you answered “no” to any of these questions, there may be some
resentments that have built up meaning that the employee can do the job, but
isn’t willing to give 100%. This employee needs to have the opportunity to
vent frustrations, get clear instructions on what is expected, and then have the
opportunity to recommit to the work of the company. If the employee remains
unwilling and hinders the work of others with a poor attitude, the employee
should be transitioned out of the company.
Is the Employee Engaged?
This is the highest level of employee involvement and commitment. These are
employees who are engaged in the work of the company take initiative. They are
problem-solvers and actively work out work problems, including inter-personal
problems. They actively seek feedback about their performance.
These employees
are natural leaders and will lead in a project whether or not they have a
management title – other just seem to follow them because of their willingness
to take risks or because of their demonstrated expertise. They also look outside
the company for sources of good ideas and are always setting goals to take their
own work to the next level. They like to learn and will look for opportunities
to take on new tasks to learn new skills. These employees give 100% because they
are motivated to do so internally.
It is only if a company gets in the way of superior performance that these
employees will stop working at the highest level. If they become frustrated that
management does not support their efforts to raise the performance bar in the
company, they will disengage and eventually leave.
Final Comment
Employees who are not able to do the job shouldn’t be offered continued
employment. If you can create open communications with employees who seem
unwilling, you can often turn around their performance. Your best point of
leverage is taking employees who are willing and helping them become employees
who are engaged.
The best way to do that is to have plenty of engaged employees
around. Their work behavior can be infectious. And get out of the way of the
engaged employees. They want room to run and will only leave if micromanaged or
not allowed room to experiment with new ideas. Follow these few simple ideas and
you will be in AWE of the contributions made by your employees to the prosperity
of your business.
About The Author
Jan B. King is the former President & CEO
of Merritt Publishing, a top 50 woman-owned and run business in Los Angeles
and the author of Business Plans to Game Plans: A Practical System for Turning
Strategies into Action (John Wiley & Sons, 2004). She has helped hundreds
of businesses with her book and her ebooks, The Do-It-Yourself Business Plan
Workbook, and The Do-It-Yourself Game Plan Workbook. See www.janbking.com
for more information. jan@janbking.com
