“Your employees are not assets to be
bought and sold, but treasures that must be preserved at all costs.”
W. Edwards Deming would use this statement to make a point about the
fact that you have made a big investment in hiring, training, coaching, and
enduring mistakes while employees are in the learning phase of the job. Rather
than writing off that investment, if you have an employee whose performance is
not up to your expectations you are should investigate why. Have they been put
in poor processes or systems, have they been given adequate training, are they
unqualified for the job, etc. As the manager, you hired them and are
responsible for them being in that position, so if they are a total misfit you
should find them a position where they can do good work, whether it is in your
organization or not. Deming and others agreed that 90% of the time, it is not
the employees fault.
It is interesting to look at a matrix comparing workforce capability to
process capability. If we have a low process capability coupled with a low
workforce capability, the organization will struggle and the future looks
bleak. If we have a high process capability matched with a low workforce
capability, the organization will coast and get by. If we have a low process
capability coupled with a high workforce capability, we have a situation of
instability where the employees are dissatisfied, frustrated, and likely to
jump to another job at the first opportunity. If we have a high process capability
matched with a high workforce capability, we are on the high road to success.
Many of the previous columns of Basic Business Cents dealt with the 90%
category and were focused on process improvement. In this article we will focus
on the workforce element. To achieve that high capability ranking, we need to
examine four elements of the focus on workforce-Environment, Development,
Engagement, and Management.
Workforce Environment
Looking at the environment, first and foremost it must be safe; safe from
physical harm and safe from mental harm like harassment and bullying. The
employee should be secure that the organization is as loyal to the employee as
the employee is to the organization. To that end, management and co-workers
must be supportive and helpful.
Organizational values should be consistent with the personal values of
the employees so that they are comfortable and proud of what they do. A former
employer once offered a seminar titled, Work/Life, taught by a psychologist and
was all about getting your work life and personal life in sync with each other.
It was probably the best seminar that I ever attended.
The position and the organization should fulfill the employees’ social
need or responsibility of being worthwhile to society. The organizational
direction or aim should be consistent with that of the employee. It is helpful
if the organization provides recreational and cultural activities that build
teamwork throughout.
Last but not least the employees should see clear career opportunities that
lie ahead.
Workforce Development
Performance is due in a large part to basic education, skills training,
coaching, ability, and motivation. Education opens up our mind and makes us
curious about learning more. We should never stop learning our entire life, as
the world continues to change around us. Training should be formal and
consistent and followed by coaching to ensure the implementation of lessons
learned is correct. The organization needs to have a regular system of sharing
knowledge throughout the organization. Skill training should not only be for
the present job but for the next one, which has been identified as a
possibility by proper career counseling. The employee should practice new
skills and consider learning as a part of daily work. The employee’s ability
should have been identified during the hiring process. Motivation comes from
within and needs to be viewed by management as what can be done to provide more
satisfaction and pride in work so as to create intrinsic motivation. Attempts to
provide extrinsic motivation rarely succeed and can backfire.
Workforce Engagement
The employees’ are more likely to be engaged in their work as we stated
previously if they have consistency with their work/home life, if they get
great satisfaction from their work, if they take pride in meaningful work, and
get joy and happiness from their efforts. Mutual trust and respect, up, down,
and across the organization are necessities for a highly capable workforce.
They should be customer focused, both on internal and external customers.
The employees should be provided with clear direction, both for the
organization and their position so that they understand their role in achieving
the company’s goals.
Constant innovation and flexibility in the work tend to make it more
exciting and interesting.
Workforce Management
In order to achieve high workforce capability, management must do their
part. They need to be honest, fair, consistent, and committed to the employees’
wellbeing. They should act consistent with the organization’s strategy and
action plans. They should be effective in problem and grievance solving.
Prior to the employee’s placement in the position, management must have
good human resource planning and hiring practices to avoid mistakes. As
mentioned above, these mistakes are very costly. Once hired, management must be
committed to the employee’ success.
Proper focus on the workforce as
outlined will result in more engaged, satisfied, and versatile employees that
stay with your organization.
