Do you care?
Communicating expectations is a regular part of every manager’s quest to increase and maintain employee efficiency. Surely, you have set some type of expectation for your employees. But how recently have you checked to see if they have met your expectations? If it is worth expecting, it is worth checking. Here’s why…
One of our clients runs a preschool. At her preschool, it is the expectation that teachers put things away in the closets in a standard, uniform, and organized manner so when another teacher is seeking the stored supplies, he/she does not waste valuable teaching time looking all over the school for necessary teaching materials. Makes sense, huh? However, when do you think the last time the cleanliness and organization of the closets were checked? Until recently, it had been months. When first rolled out, this procedure was clearly defined, well communicated and stated as “THE way” to keep supplies in order. However, when no one in management checked the closets, the teachers stopped maintaining the organization. They started throwing materials where they landed and began wasting time searching for materials. Guess what happened next? Management became frustrated that teachers were wasting time looking for materials. Crazy! Had management simply kept up with a consistent schedule of checking the closets, everyone would have won – the teachers would have put stuff where it went, other teachers would have found the stuff where they expected it to be, and management would have seen efficient procedures working!
Understanding that most managers do not feel they should babysit their employees, I am not suggesting that you create an expectation and micromanage it. Rather, I am suggesting that you set an expectation and then let your employees know that you meant business – you didn’t create a rule just to create a rule. You asked them to follow a procedure because you know that it will increase efficiency or alleviate unnecessary stress or, simply, is just the most effective way to get work done. When you check back, you will tell your employees that you care about them following protocol. Then, most importantly, you gain productivity from your staff and in turn, a higher profitability.
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