8 Golden Techniques To Get People To Love The Rules
By Joseph Plazo
Different things motivate different folks. Some people are motivated to enhance
their appearance while others are motivated by prestige or conquest. Others
are motivated by money. When it comes to work, many people are not motivated to
do much of anything except show up and collect a paycheck. It is our job as managers
to create an environment in which employees are inspired to do a better job and
forge.
A recent Gallop Poll stated that about 20% of people queried described themselves
as “actively disengaged” at work. Most of these people also said that they were
not given the proper tools to do their job or that they were not given clear directions
for completing the task. From this Poll, we see statistics that are astounding.
These employees who are being described as “actively disengaged” are costing employers
more than 300 billion dollars a year! This same Poll showed that these people are
more likely to go hooky or to be late and are also described as less enthusiastic
to their jobs.
A frequent mistake that employers make is levying too many regulations for employees
to follow. This is highly de-motivating for the employee! They feel that they are
not empowered to creatively carry out tasks for fear of breaking a rule.
Having employees feel that they are not trusted is another critical mistake that
management makes. Creating rules and polices that question an employee’s trustworthiness
is common practice in major businesses. An example includes allowing a certain number
of days off when a family member dies. This assumes that if there were no limit
on the number of days, the employee would take advantage of their time off.
The following are tips to create a work environment that fosters motivation.
Guidelines for an Enjoyable Work Environment
• Minimize rules and policies to the essential. Rules are there to protect your
business and create structure; if a rule does not serve that purpose, then you will
need to consider retiring that particular policy.
• After the rules are established, it is essential that all employees know what
is expected of them. Ensure apt promulgation of all regulations.
• Establish a code of conduct. Implement a collaborative effort which involves all
or most of the employees that work with you. A vision and mission statement keeps
the ship sailing towards a common goal.
• Follow the rules- no exceptions. If management fails to practice what it preaches,
can it expect its employees to keep within the bounds?
• Management should address inappropriate behaviors immediately before they become
habits. Use counseling or a progressive discipline approach rather than a “you’re
in trouble” approach.
• Clearly broadcast work place guidelines for professional behavior.
• Seek employee feedback on rules and policies. Request for ideas to enhance these
policies for greater employee empowerment. Sometimes staff have great ideas; after
all, they do the job everyday!
• Ensure that these novel ideas of consistency in enforcing policy don’t come as
a cold shock to rank and file. If you have been letting employees “get away” with
things in the past, you should meet with them and explain that the new policies
are there for everyone’s mutual benefit.
|