Make your employees "see the logic." Finally,Weiner says that while you shouldn't have to explain yourselfconstantly to your employees, it's important to make employeessee the logic in what you're doing. "It gets really hot in Georgia in thesummertime," Weiner says, "so I've put fans and watercoolers all over the place in every one of our plants, as well as'blow fans' with evaporated water that feel like airconditioning." You should do things like that, Weiner says,without your employees having to ask. As an example, Weinercites Constantine Carpet's productivity bonus: "We setoutput goals for the tufting or the dying operation, and make surepeople know if the whole plant produces more product peremployee-hour and meets the quota, then everyone benefits if thequota is surpassed, everyone in that plant gets a bonus for theweek." One of the side benefits of this approach is that allemployees are guaranteed to be tough on slackers, whiners and otherdrags on productivity, knowing that substandard performance willaffect them personally.īe humane. Weiner feels strongly that bonuses and otherincentives should be based on the company's performance, notthe individual employees' performance. "You put the company in the room along with you andthe employee, and you tell the employee that if that artificialthird person is happy, you'll be happy as well," Weinersays.Įstablish group incentives, rather than individualincentives. Make the company the "third person in theroom." "Employees should be thinking of thecompany's well being, not mine," says Weiner, explainingthat he makes a point of telling employees that such-and-such agoal will benefit the company as a whole, and therefore benefiteveryone. Weiner recalls thatwhen Constantine Carpet was just getting off the ground, "Iwas very close to certain individuals, and that was sometimes aproblem for me, like when I had to fire them." Weiner stressesthe importance of setting up policies once a company has grownbeyond the startup phase, and letting employees know that theirsuccess will depend on their adherence to the policies-andnot their personal relationship with you. The key, according to Weiner, is to make sure your employeesdon't see you as someone who is generous or stingy, but rathersomeone who is smart and able enough to build a successful companyand who will make sure that if the company is prosperous, theworkers who make a difference will become prosperous as well. "You can't just tell people to dosomething because 'I'm the boss', because thatwon't cut it anymore," says Weiner. You're not "the Boss." "My employeesshould be thinking of the company and its well-being, and notdealing with me as an individual at all," says Weiner,explaining that today's workers have been taught to questionauthority at all levels and will resent you presenting yourself asan authority figure. Here are some of Weiner's tips on successfully handlingemployee relations: It's been widely praised in itsindustry for the "cult-like" positive attitudes itsemployees bring to their work each day. Constantine Carpet is aleading manufacturer of commercial and residential carpeting,employing about 270 blue- and white-collar employees in severalnorthern Georgia mills. Someone who's wrestled long and hard with this problem isBob Weiner, founder of Constantine Carpet. How can you get your employee relationships "justright"? How can you build a positive, healthy workingenvironment for your employees without giving away the store? They start second-guessing yourmanagement decisions, and insist that you justify everything youwant or need them to do. They start showing up late for work-ornot at all-and play to your sympathies when you try to pullthem up short or criticize them. They ask for more and more, even though whatyou're giving them as compensation is quite generous byindustry standards. Yet if you're too nice to them and bend over backwardstrying to make your workplace as happy, nurturing and fun-filled asyou possibly can, what happens then? Your employees start thinkingyou're a "soft touch" and start taking advantage ofyour good nature.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |