|
|
|
|
"Our people are our greatest asset": Lip service or reality? By Terry Bragg Companies frequently proclaim that people are their greatest asset. Unfortunately, the claim is often an empty slogan rather than reality. People know whether you value them by how you treat them, not by how you tell them you treat them. Apparently, many companies do not understand this. Not only do the companies mistreat their employees, but they also act like their employees are idiots that they can fool with false claims. The rhetoric fools no one. For example, I know of a growing company whose new CEO sent a letter to each employee. The letter declared that employees were the greatest asset of the company and that the company highly valued its employees. This was great rhetoric and a good personal touch. Unfortunately for the CEO, the letter didn’t fool anyone into believing they were well treated. This company has an obvious glass ceiling preventing women from advancing their careers. The company’s management—a "good old boy’s club"—discriminates against women and ethnic minorities. Women and minorities are not currently part of the senior management team, and the increasing diversity in the workplace poses a threat to senior managers in the company. Although they claim to value people, the company’s management is not recruiting or encouraging women and minorities to advance within the company. They are simply not welcome in the "good old boys" network. As an example of how claims do not fool anyone, this company acquired a small family-owned company with ten employees who had loyally worked for their company for years. Shortly after the acquisition, the employees voted unanimously to unionize. The contradiction is clear: valued employees do not need to seek union protection. With another acquisition, the company required managers to work fifteen hour days on a computer system conversion. When the conversion was complete, the company downsized and let many managers go. Obviously, the company no longer valued or needed the managers after the project was completed. Lip service doesn’t fool anyone. People know whether you value them by how you treat them. The following tips will help you show your employees that you truly value them: • Do not downsize. Downsizing clearly contradicts claims that people are valuable. If you must downsize, then cut the people at the top who mismanaged the company. The CEO is probably a good place to start. Giving senior managers hefty bonuses after laying off lower level employees sends a mixed message and confuses people about whom the company really values. If you value people, then find ways to keep them. A few years ago, a major airline hired a new CEO to save the financially distressed company. Like many other turnaround artists, the CEO’s strategy consisted of downsizing the workforce. Although the financial statements improved, employee morale plummeted. Eventually, the Board of Directors fired the CEO because of deteriorating employee relations. The lesson is clear: you cannot improve morale by downsizing. If you truly value your employees, then you do not treat them as expendable commodities when times are tough. • Invest in training. Invest in your employees. Train them to keep their job skills current and marketable. Companies sometimes balk at training because they are afraid the employees will take the training and then leave. The question I ask is, "What will you do if you don’t train them, and they stay?" Both the company and its employees benefit from training. It’s usually a small cost for the benefit you gain. • Share the wealth. Reward employees by sharing the financial success of the company. Treat them as financial partners by sharing profits or giving bonuses based upon the financial performance of the company. Don’t just reward the top managers. Push the rewards down to the front line workers. • Treat people with respect. Show that you trust them and value their contributions. Allow them to make decisions that affect their work. Honor their privacy. Don’t just pay lip service to empowerment. • Create a place where people want to work. This is the Field of Dreams approach. If you make it, they will come. Make your workplace a place where people want to work and you won’t have to worry about recruiting good employees. Your satisfied employees are your best recruiters. You won’t have recruitment problems if you have satisfied employees who tell their friends and relatives how much they enjoy their jobs and like the company for which they work. Show your employees that they are your greatest asset by treating them as partners. Your actions always speak louder than your words. Your empty words will not fool people you have mistreated. If employees are fleeing your company, you know you have a problem that words alone won’t fix. Terry Bragg and Peacemakers Training offers a variety of tools for promoting, maintaining, and recognizing excellence in your workplace. We also offer tools for helping you achieve and maintain personal excellence. To learn more about these tools, click here: Tools for Workplace and Personal Excellence To find out more about Terry's book, 31 Days to High Self-Esteem, click here: 31 Days to High Self-Esteem To learn more about onsite seminars and workshops for improving interpersonal relationships, resolving conflict, and promoting and maintaining excellence in your workplace, click here: Seminars & Workshops ©2002 All rights reserved Terry Bragg•Peacemakers Training Terry Bragg runs a company called Peacemakers Training in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is the author of the book 31 Days to High Self-Esteem. He works with organizations to create a workplace where people want to work, and with managers who want their people to work together better. If you want your organization or your people to have more energy, more trust, more respect, and more meaning, please contact him at: Peacemakers Training Subscribe to our Free
|
|