Are workers telling the truth when they say they are ill? This question was posed on the Money Programme on BBC Television in December 2004. British Bosses are reporting that more and more of their staff appear to be skiving off with faked illnesses and many firms are taking new steps to crack down on malingerers. Research by the Confederation of British Industry suggests that workplace absence is on the rise for the first time in five years. Last year we were off sick on average for 7.2 days up from 6.8 the previous year. It costs UK businesses ?11.75bn a year, the CBI says. The CBI also estimates that 15% of all illness is due to people taking days off when they are not really ill.
Now while I accept that there will always people who take time off work for no good reason, I believe managers need to take a long hard look at how they manage their people in the first place. Perhaps if they made the workplace a far better place to be then a lot less people would take a "sickie."
If you want a highly motivated team who don't take time off work, don't keep looking for other jobs and make a positive contribution to your business there are three things you need to do.
#1 Spend some quality time
I didn't say "quantity time" I said "quality time." One or two minutes of quality time on a regular basis are far more productive than a one hour review every year. You need to get to know your team better and they need to get to know you. It will help you build a relationship with the individual. You'll gain a much better understanding of them and how they're handling the job. It will also give the impression that you care about the individual and show that you're there to help with problems both personal and business.
Spending quality time will encourage opinions and ideas to flow from them and allows you to explain the company's mission. It gives them a feeling of being in on things which is a big motivator. It will also help you build an "early warning system" of any problems both business and personal. Finally, it builds team spirit and morale.
#2 Give feedback and coach
You need to regularly tell each member of your team when they're doing well and when not so well. I read some recent research that suggested 65% of employees in the US received no recognition at work in the past year. My experience tells me that it's much the same throughout the world and much worse in some countries.
Some managers still believe - "why should I praise people when they're only doing what they're paid to do." It's also important to tell people when they're not performing. There are too many managers who either ignore poor behaviour or come down on the person like a ton of bricks. There are particular ways to give feedback and coach and they're described in detail in the book - How to get More Sales by Motivating Your Team.
#3 Be a believer
We're now getting into the area of "Empowerment" which was first introduced in the 1080's and became a bit of a management buzzword. However, I believe that it's one of the most promising but least understood concepts in management today.
I'm a fairly down to earth practical sort of person (probably comes from my engineering background). I'm not big into management theories unless I can see the benefits for me - I see a great deal of benefit for managers and team leaders in Empowerment.
Empowerment is about utilising the knowledge, skill, experience and motivational power that's already within your people. The majority of people in teams and organisations throughout the world are severely underutilised. Your team have probably more to offer in terms of skill, knowledge and experience and if you utilize that, you will achieve your business goals and you'll motivate them.
Alan Fairweather is the author of four ebooks in the "How to get More Sales" series. Lots of practical actions you can take to build your business and motivate your team.- http://www.howtogetmoresales.com
limo prices to midway Crystal Lake west of Randal .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareToo many techies get a bad rap for lacking teamwork... Read More
Most managers simply herd some people in a room with... Read More
Do you let your people express their thoughts about the... Read More
More and more I hear people misunderstanding what someone else... Read More
Recently while waiting for our lunch to be served in... Read More
You're at a meeting with key staff. You want some... Read More
Ever watched a really brilliant idea meet with resistance and... Read More
The Dance of ConflictWhen faced with the prospect of meeting... Read More
"Conflict becomes politics, commitment becomes 'Only if it's in my... Read More
It's the summer of 1973, and a young film director... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Ever lost for ideas while working in a group? One... Read More
Young minds are quite easy to shape. International Terrorist recruiters... Read More
The second in a series of 2 articles giving a... Read More
There's nothing that matches the power of teamwork to accomplish... Read More
Franchisees of a particular franchise must get along in order... Read More
Internal business structures have been radically transformed over the past... Read More
Many believe a leaner government promotes better freedoms with respect... Read More
"Tak kenak! Tak kenak!" "Adak Orang sanak!????"The quiet jungle has... Read More
If asked to look at your work calendar for the... Read More
Over the years there has been much ado about team... Read More
It's a great sunny day so it's time to get... Read More
At a time when many companies are scaling down their... Read More
Teams don't have to be aligned with the goals of... Read More
The first in a series of articles giving a slightly... Read More
taxi o'hare Auburn ..Ever watched a really brilliant idea meet with resistance and... Read More
Last month's edition of Footprints and Monuments illustrated a parallel... Read More
7 Key Dimensions of High Performance Teams We can always... Read More
Multiculturalism is a reality in North America and for those... Read More
Teams don't have to be aligned with the goals of... Read More
Let's look at the detail of giving feedback. Whether you... Read More
Teams run most businesses and teams work best if each... Read More
Have you seen the tee-shirt with the slogan, "Talk to... Read More
Over the years there has been much ado about team... Read More
The first in a series of articles giving a slightly... Read More
The Sales Director had organised a great conference; the venue... Read More
Recently while waiting for our lunch to be served in... Read More
If asked to look at your work calendar for the... Read More
On the trail in Northern Canada "Marche" was the word... Read More
It's frustrating when your co-workers, audience members, teenager or even... Read More
Today, most of us have been involved in a team... Read More
The feedback I'm talking about here isn't some sort of... Read More
You're at a meeting with key staff. You want some... Read More
Franchisees of a particular franchise must get along in order... Read More
The effects of conflict in the workplace are widespread and... Read More
Many believe a leaner government promotes better freedoms with respect... Read More
Remember playing in your childhood sandbox? If you enjoyed being... Read More
Teams are often useful in situations where the task cannot... Read More
Trainers, please picture this... You are presenting in a new... Read More
Companies often have incentives for reps, but sometimes that isn't... Read More
Team Building |