November 2010

The Good of the Many Outweighs the Good of the One

I can finally watch television again without getting annoyed. Thank goodness the elections are over and the airwaves are free of the constant candidate bashing and propaganda that has become so inherent in today's political campaigns. One advertisement I felt was particularly venomous had the announcer relating the story of a shooter's stray bullet that hit a young child in a passing car. The intent of the commercial was to convince the viewer that because of the candidate's position on gun control he was responsible for young children getting shot.

This commercial reminded me of past experiences on how the issue of employee morale can be distorted by a few carefully placed comments. Most business owners want their employees to be happy with their jobs for the obvious benefits of higher productivity, retention and loyalty. The owners thrive on receiving regular reinforcement from a variety of sources that employee morale is high. However, these same leaders often receive someone's personal assessment of this issue and accept that assessment as valid when, in fact, just the opposite is true.

I experienced a recent situation where this was the case. The owner called me to his location and was somewhat despondent over a report from one of his long term managers that employee morale across the company was at an all time low. Having worked with this client for the past few years I questioned the validity of this report, particularly since their employee survey results compiled less than 6 months ago indicated that 80% of the respondents rated their overall job satisfaction as favorable. Over 90% responded they would recommend this company to their family and friends as a great place to work. Despite this data the owner was concerned and asked me to explore further to determine the basis of this manager's report.

What I found was that the manager and a select few of his direct reports were, in fact, unhappy that sales and profit were below expectations and that if business did not dramatically improve, they would not qualify for their yearend bonus. The potential loss of incentive compensation became the topic of a lunchtime gripe session which subsequently translated into the manager's report to the owner. While the specifics of this situation may be unique, the practice is not. There are managers and employees in every organization that truly believe their opinions and assessments represent the feelings and attitudes of the overall employee population. Because of their position, they are given the opportunity on a regular basis to play the role of trusted messenger to the President, owner or key executive. Those managers who exploit this opportunity by tainting the message for their own purpose deserve to be counseled and advised of the impact of their actions. Similarly, the business leader needs to take the time to validate the message through a more factual approach. Employee surveys and regular meetings with the entire management team can be a valuable tool in helping the business leader sift through the internal rumor mill and eliminate the distortion that comes with an insecure manager. If we can help uncover the difference between fact and fiction in your organization, please give us a call at 610-287-1162. We'd be glad to help.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Phil


Take the "Will" Out of Your Employee Policy Manual
Attorneys and HR professionals don't always agree on what should be included in a company's employee policy manual. Some feel that policies and procedures should be outlined in the fullest detail while others like to provide some "wiggle room" in their policy statements. However, due to some recent court decisions both parties seem to be in agreement that words like "we will" or "always" should be modified to avoid a challenge to the validity of the handbook. Oftentimes these statements are attached to policies on conducting performance reviews or assessing discipline. All it takes is one demonstrated instance where you didn't conduct an employee's annual review or a lesser amount of discipline was assessed than that stated in the handbook and it could be determined that you didn't follow your own policies. Therefore, your policy manual could be deemed in valid in your defense of an employment related matter.

Changing those affirmative statements to "generally we will" or "we strive to" will minimize the incidents of non-compliance and still allow you to develop the fundamental policies and procedures necessary to maintain a fair and consistent employment environment. Keep in mind that such softening of the language should not apply to your zero tolerance position on issues such as harassment, violent behavior and substance abuse. Maintaining a definitive and unwavering position on these issues is the best practice.

If we can help with a free no obligation review of your policies and procedures give us a call at 610-287-1162 or email me directly at phil@hrsolutionsonline.com.