In this weeks blog post I am discussing the change in the work ethic of the workforce and how managers can no longer hold the workforce accountable. Posing the question - Where has integrity gone?
Having had a really rough week in work I have spoken with a few friends who are line managers to discuss the work ethic of their staff. We agreed that staff can no longer accept being given instructions to complete the simplest of tasks. The hierarchy are fearful of implementing any consequences due to possibly being accused of discrimination.
This week I sent an email to my team just asking for a few tweaks in they way they conduct themselves..... well you would have thought I had asked them to walk over hot coals. I mean given the fact that I am able to apply myself to all of their roles, I know what it is like to do their job - given their high sickness rate (another integrity issue!) I have had to cover each of them at some point. Yet the backlash I had was appalling. Whispering in the office, moaning about the email, blanking me. It was ridiculous. Quite upsetting really.
On speaking with a friend, she had asked a member of her team to conduct a simple task to ensure a message was relayed to their customers. After 2 hours this task had still not been completed. A five minute task, which would have provided a high standard of customer service at an early opportunity was missed. In the end my friend just did it herself to ensure it was completed.
If you need something doing, ask a busy person to do it...
This phrase really is true, I mean this is pretty much what is happening now in most workplaces. Busy people get asked to do tasks as they will do it! Lazy people shy away from hard work, they are content to do the minimal amount and feel happy about it. They are also the people who are happy to watch other members of their team drowning in their workload. They stand by and watch their managers complete the work they had been tasked to do - which poses the question -
Why do we need staff?
Why don't we just have a group of hard working managers doing it all? They are pretty much doing it all anyway? We don't do this as it is now so difficult to get rid of poor staff. The law is on the side of the wrong people. Employees can pretty much do as very little as they like, turn up on time, leave before time, not complete the work they have been asked to do, just tick the minimum amount of boxes to prove they have worked and that's it! Stress levels of managers is through the roof leading to burn outs. Many of the well performing managers are leaving their industry they are amazing in, allowing the poor staff to continue doing a poor job. Very often leading to the establishment continuing to fail and unable to retain good staff.
Workforce integrity needs to shift
However given the debacle I witnessed in the house of commons recently, it's no surprise we have lost respect for the people in charge. How on earth can we expect the next generation to have high standards of integrity and respect when the people running the country have no respect for the rules in place for them to abide by, heckling and shouting at the speaker, what an awful example to set. I think we have unfortunately changed into a generation of poor working output, setting a poor example to new staff and accepting that good enough will do. We have to start dismissing staff who do not meet the high standard required. We cannot be afraid to be a team member down, when their standard of work is so poor anyway.
We also need to consider that education is key
We have to teach our children the rewards of hard work and that integrity is important. Everyone should be accountable for their actions -or lack of actions. Unfortunately, I believe the issues we face now stem from parenting, childcare and education. We are led by what the child wants, not what the parent/carer expects. At childcare settings it's all about what the child wants to do - no structure or consequences for their choices- ' If you do that little Jonny, that will hurt, If you do that little Suzy you will get it wrong'. Giving them the idea that they can choose to do whatever they want whenever they want - No accountability, no consequences, or the ability to learn from their mistakes.
Namby pamby state
When children get to primary school, teachers (OFSTED) want children to be rewarded for any behaviour, the simplest of tasks allow the child to receive recognition. There is no push for children to be competitive or determined, they are rewarded for being ok, producing something mediocre. Students who excel do not get any recognition as it becomes expected of them, but without reward they feel demoralized and end up not bothering as its amazing to be mediocre. As my eldest children were referred to, they were the ghost students, invisible to staff. Never bad or good enough to get attention. Isn't that sad? Why weren't they encouraged at school to try harder? Because there wasn't any reward. We no longer thrive on excelling, we are accepting of just doing.
How do we raise standards of the workforce?
By rewarding those who go the extra mile, recognition for hard work at school - to encourage all students to want to be better, to work harder for a greater reward. Giving staff the pay rise they deserve or extra days leave. It's not discrimination, its wanting a workforce with high standards, its encouraging competitiveness on improving the output. It's not about age, gender, race or sexuality. It's about whether someone is good enough at their job. Whether they share the same values or ethos of the place that they work. We cannot allow the fear of an employer being taking to a tribunal to lower the standards.
We have to make this shift urgently before all workplaces become a place of lacklustre output with an attitude of its good enough.
Love Gianna x
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