Managing Employee Representation

Reducing unnecessary deceptively attractive opposition to change 

 Some time ago I did a great deal of work on this subject with a colleague.

It is true though that the context never changes. So with that said here are some thoughts:

1. Remember that some conflict is inevitable. Employee representatives are in the business to secure objectives, which are sometimes different from management.
2. Consider that the priorities of many employees who are NOT managers are PRIMARILY to their families. The priorities of those who are managers are frequently their CAREERS.
3. Don’t assume that every employee representative is an anarchist or internal terrorist.
4. Remember that sometimes employees’ representatives simply “fire the bullets on behalf of someone else!”

So:

1. Be prepared to explain and consult fully not just the decisions but the rationale behind them.
2. Ensure that YOU also TALK to the employees not just the employee representatives. NEVER forget they are your employees!
3. Where the employee representative resists you talking to your employees RESIST they have no rights to this.
4. INVEST time in your employees and explain how the business is going. They also have a stake in the success if for no other reason their paycheck.
5. Remember that the business also affects the employee and their family whether in good times or bad.
6. Communicate regularly with your employees. Even sending letters to the employees’ homes makes lots of sense. Remember families influence your employees sometimes more than you the employer.
7. Ensure that you give the opportunity for employee representatives to talk to you on a regular basis not just when you want something from them.
8. Make sure when you talk to them you give them the opportunity to discuss what is going on. It is a TWO WAY dialogue.
9. Make sure you know the difference between:
   1. COMMUNICATING – informing
   2. CONSULTING – Asking
   3. NEGOTIATING – Bargaining

i.     And let them know which part of the process you and they are taking part!!

10. Let everyone know when the informing, asking and bargaining phases stop and then STOP

Original collaboration on this and thanks to Andy Sargent

Are you an average employee?

Recently I attended a “Best in the World Customer Service” learning series.  I realized that it was more about leadership in the workplace.

Some of the questions asked were:

Are you genuine? Are you a good listener? Are you people focused?

Do you think about the vision of the organization? Did you make an impact on someone’s life today? Did you say thank you or good job to someone today? Do you care?

It’s not like we don’t know all this stuff, the question is do we use it daily?

A leader’s job is to change the attitude of the people you work.

Did you know that 70% of people who does business with your company is because they like doing business with YOU! 

That is huge!  Customers become emotionally connected, 20% for what you know, and 80% because of your personality.

One important thing we need to remember:  someone hired us for the job!  So, you ask, what does that mean?   You interviewed, you were chosen from several applicants, and someone thought YOU were the best for the job.

They trust you, they have faith in you, and so, if you’re working average, it’s not good enough. 

I came to work this morning, thinking, who will I have an impact on today, how will I make this organization grow, and when I drive home tonight, I will ask myself what am I going to do better tomorrow?

Unemployed persons in the United States (12.7 million) and the unemployment rate (8.2 percent) as of April 2012.  It is in your hands not to be one of these Statistics.

dlanc

Learning as I go!

Are people born unmotivated?

It seems that we are continually working with the consequences of this dilemma.

In our day-to-day lives whether at work or in our home life!

I take the view that we all too often create the people we get!

Treat people badly and only the very few will come through at the other side still complete!

They all will have memories however.

Some will reflect and mirror the life you gave them. Others will spend a lifetime ensuring what you did will never happen to them or others again.

Much about business is about the “engaged and the disengaged” We label them like the clean and the unclean! We want them!  AND not those!

Let us be clear – we create the environment and we choose to make it toxic or give them clean fresh air to breathe life, hope and energy.

Let’s not make it complicated!

People DO things to people and we get the reaction we deserve.

The problem is that the damage we do is a reflection on us, and not the  “victim” we created.

It is also produces the perception we deserve.

Too many companies talk about values when they do not understand what they really need to do to deliver them.

I believe people need to be given the opportunity to be the best version of them.

I believe that too many managers and others need to really reflect on what they espouse and who they really are.

All to often the real problem of the “values” gap of coworkers is not with those who we label.

Those senior executives who talk with “forked tongue” They are the ones who are killing your business and peoples confidence.

They are the real internal terrorists!

Remember we create the landscape!