A small company in economic distress engaged a research firm to help explore options for salvaging the business. The research firm suggested a series of small group meetings with employees to gain their perspective.
The company was reluctant to do so, yet decided to give the employee sessions a try, hoping to hear suggestions for improving productivity which they considered key to their survival.
The first question asked in the employee sessions was “tell us how to improve (name of the firm) so they can remain in business.” A few concrete suggestions for improvements to work flow and production schedules were offered.
However, employees at all levels of the organization – from administrative assistant to warehouse to shop floor to management – were fixated on talking about how badly they believed they were treated by top management.
Consider these comments, illustrative of 80% of the feedback:
- “My boss makes me feel like a piece of equipment, something to be used and discarded at his whim.”
- “The only thing senior leadership cares about is the numbers. If your results are good, it doesn’t matter what kind of person you are; and some of them are pretty despicable.”
- “When I reported a safety problem, my boss said I could quit if I didn’t like it. She said there were plenty of other people who would be happy to take my job.”
- “The guys in the ivory tower don’t even know us folks on the shop floor exist. We’re just a way for them to get their bonuses.”
When the research firm relayed the interview results to the company’s senior management team, the CEO quickly ended the meeting and fired the research firm on the spot, saying they had obviously botched the assignment.
Beware the warning signs of profits before people
If you’re a manager in an organization where company performance needs improving:
- Try to remember the last time someone in senior management walked the shop floor, asked questions of employees and really listened to their answers. If it’s been more than three months, schedule a walk around asap.
- Ask yourself if you have been ignoring the early warning signs of employee distress, things like turnover or low morale. Employees not sharing information with their boss. Whispering that stops when anyone in management walks by.
- Explore how senior management truly thinks about employees: are they viewed as assets or a means to drive profit?
- Are employees who share bad news dismissed as quickly as the research firm as?
- Do you feel valued, like you really matter; or do you feel like your efforts are only a means to someone’s economic end?
- Do you trust your colleagues, superiors, and your CEO? Do they trust you?
What have you experienced as far as principles and trust being sacrificed for profit?
Image source: morgueFile.com
