The Fine Line
February 4, 2008
I recently noticed two headlines on the front page of the FP Work, the first was “10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures” and the other “No need to resort to tea leaves, some tips to help discern if you are to be sacked”.
The yin and yang of corporate life displayed on the front page for all to see.
As I looked over the list of the “10 Best” I was unsurprised to find WestJet in first position. This feisty 1996 start-up has taken the airline industry by storm not only because of phenomenal profits in an industry plagued by losses. It has set a new standard for customer service.
I remember the first time I flew with them, the kiddish enthusiasm of the flight crew was as surprising as it was contagious, I loved it and the smiles on the faces of most of the other travelers said they were as confused and delighted as I was. Since that time whenever possible I chose WestJet.
WestJet has a corporate culture which includes profit-sharing and a “department” dedicated to ensuring that its employees are happy and engaged. Let me repeat that a “department” at WestJet is dedicated to making sure employees are happy and engaged in the corporate culture. Wow, that really struck me as outrageous.
We all have experienced the HR department which by it’s very name de-humanizes the experience of work. Human resources, hum, am I gold or a lump of coal? The check list evaluation, the disinterest in anything you have to say. The formulaic answers and response given by the interviewer who may have no contact with you on a daily basis. It is a dreaded occasion in most companies and a sure way to squash productive and creative employees.
The evaluation becomes a occasion to engage in corporate double speak and spout platitudes. Instead of an opportunity to communicate and appreciate the contributions of the employee from the manger’s and the employee’s point of view.
The evaluation is a golden opportunity for honest talk about what is happening in the workplace. The evaluation often becomes a occasion to engage in corporate double speak and spout platitudes.
The evaluation itself is often given in the context of the salary scale. You can only move up the scale at a certain rate not because of the merit of your contribution but because the budget dictates.
Then I looked at the “how do you know that you are about to be fired” piece and realized in some companies, too many, it would be difficult for some of us to tell if it was business as usual or as Mr. Levitt says the “tea leaves” point to your imminent dismissal.
Too many employees, experience a culture in which fault finding and not praise giving is the way people are managed.
I read a Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) blog post about the secret of Dale Carnegie courses and the secret is…………..praise, find something to praise and shout it out over and over and watch the performance of the person reach new excellence.
Scott Adam’s talks about a woman who came to Dale Carneige unable to utter a word in front of the class the first session. She became an accomplished public speaker by the end of the course, simply because no matter what she did the facilitator was ecstatic and communicated this enthusiastically.
Non-communication, not being included in meetings and no say in decision-making are business as usual in most companies. Add to this mix little opportunity to communicate with managers at any level and a deaf ear to staff suggestions and voila job dissatisfaction equals low productivity.
Productivity should be the number one issue for any thinking executive! Productive employees naturally create wealth for the company. A cynical, de-energized work force will never be whipped into a top high productivity by the same stall methods that created the situation.
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