Corporate Cupid's Prickly Arrow

[Courtesy of Grantland Cartoons]

If corporations were suitors, they would be the kind who would call at the last minute for dates, and show up  with tofu and tomato juice instead of chocolates and champagne. They'd give you just enough to sustain you for the night, but not enough to leave a pleasant impression, let alone one worth repeating. And that's a shame because in the corporate world, where even in a recession, workforce managers have to be mindful of employee engagement and retention, spreading good feelings is essential.

Raises are currently out of the question for most companies, and I've already discussed on this blog other perks to try such as flex-time and relatively inexpensive incentives like contests to win extra vacation days or gift certificates. One thing I haven't discussed is sensitivity training for managers. I don't mean sensitivity about gender and ethnic issues. That's obviously important for legal and ethical reasons, but what I'm referring to is training managers and executives to be more compassionate, and therefore, more enjoyable as bosses. I've heard of role-play exercises focused on "difficult conversations," and others on "making the sale," but none on "employee misery."  You teach up-and-coming managers negotiation and communication skills in leadership development seminars, but what about using emotional IQ to assess and address worker hardship (hardship that it turns out is their fault)?

With staffs downsized and workloads super-sized, you may as a manager have no alternative but to assign tasks that spill over into evenings and weekends--or do you?  Could employees groomed for leadership be taught ways to organize their department's responsibilities so those times work spills onto employees' free time, soiling their comfort, could be limited?  And, just as important, can these new managers be taught how to better handle the environment that's created when they make the decision to overload?  Doubtless, some are born with a greater sensitivity than others to the feelings of people other than themselves, but there may be hope for those whose definition of sensitivity is monitoring their own feelings. In leadership practice sessions, ask them to try out requesting that an employee take on what's bound to be a burdensome load of assignments. To start off, don't give them any hints on what would be the best approach. See what their natural inclination is to get a sense of why employees in his/her department are fleeing as fast as a hotel guests vacating  bed bug-infested guest rooms. "Hi there, Louise, I have a little project for you," leadership development student A says to his employee at 3 p.m. on a Friday, as her eyes widen. "In our regional meeting last night, the other managers and I decided we need to sharpen our direct mail campaign. So, I need you to review these 5,000 names and accompanying demographics, and highlight about 500 to 1,000 you think we should zero in on. Sorry for the short notice, but I'll need that by the middle of next week."  He said he was "sorry," so why isn't that overbearing workload request perfect?

Could this self-described sensitive manager be taught to make his work style less miserable and employee-flight-inducing?  What if he were taught to find a way to make this task into a group, rather than solitary, challenge that would include himself pitching in?  Instead of cornering an employee (even one not on his favorites list) and overwhelming her so she leaves their conversation looking like soon-to-be-roadkill, student A could be taught to call an emergency staff meeting at 3, present his challenge, and ask for suggestions on meeting the goal by his deadline. This approach reinforces team cohesion and reduces stress and the isolated misery feeling by allowing--even requiring--employees to lean on each other. In addition to figuring out together the best and most efficient way to finish the task on time, asking for suggestions from his work group on how to approach the task may make them less resentful of the extra effort required, and gives them a chance to express what they are and are not willing to do to get the job done. Student A's team might decide, for instance, that they would overwhelmingly prefer putting in late nights Monday through Wednesday rather than sacrificing any portion of their Friday night or weekend.

Along with workload apportionment, beware of where the new, rabid cost-saving culture takes managers. When assigning a worker to reach out to a client hundreds of miles away, how smart is it to forbid the employee from checking into a hotel room the night before rather than waking up at 4 a.m. to be at a 9 a.m. meeting?  If there's a hotel room available for $200, or even $300, is it possible making that "steep" investment (quotation marks because not so steep compared to what some of your CEOs are making) is well worth it?  Similarly, do you think the leadership student should be taught that it isn't a waste of money to spend the extra $100 so his employee doesn't have to spend the night in a hotel that even flees in search of dogs wouldn't check into?

Many of you are cultivating charmless leaders, who were never taught why they should continuously court their employees, and how to go about it. Your employees may not comprise your dream workforce, and given most of your "courtship" practices, you're no bargain either. But in this economy, all you've got is each other. Go ahead, give up the corporate tofu. A few recession/depression consolation bonbons are in order.

What do you teach developing leaders about how to court employees to enhance engagement and retention?  Is this soft-heart approach nonsense, or is there something to be said for treating your workforce with sensitivity?

Comments

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[Canada Goose UK]

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