Is There a Discipline Problem in Your Small Business?
I ask this question at most of my clients, and there is a very interesting result.
When the question is posed to the senior managers, most often the answer is "no".
On the other hand, when the responder is in the field or on the shop floor, the answer very often is "yes".
Why the difference.
Simply put, most supervisors avoid applying discipline.
They are scared of losing the guys support.
On the other hand, the workers see one or two of the group getting away with transgressions, and they get really upset.
Yes, that is a fact! What I have found in most cases is that the guys who most want a disciplined environment are the hardworking individuals who are the backbone of any small business.
They want to know that every employee is treated equally, and that when they get up 30 minutes early on that snowy morning to be on time at the job site, they are not going to be held up by some shirker who shows up late.
Counter-productive behavior and the reluctance or inability of supervisors to effectively and consistently deal with this behavior is a serious problem for management.
This type of behavior is serious because it contributes to low morale and reduced productivity.
The cost of this behavior is very high, with significant impact on the bottom-line profits.
Dealing with this situation is not hard, but as with most management issues simply requires a simple set of rules and a commitment from management that those rules will be applied evenhandedly and effectively across the board.
The biggest mistake made by small business managers is failure to follow through.
"If you are late again, you will be suspended for the day.
" OK that's a good working statement but will totally backfire if the next time the individual is late he gets "The crew is short, you are just going to have to get over there".
He thinks "Hey, I am too important for them to discipline me.
" The rest of the crew thinks "Here I am working my butt off, and that guy gets away with this.
I might as well do the same.
" And the rot sets in.
Studies have revealed that workplace productivity is frequently less than 60% and one of the contributors to that poor performance is poor discipline.
And that bit about losing the guys support if you apply discipline, the reality is just the opposite.
You may lose the shirkers, but you will gain the honest admiration of the bulk of the team.
When the question is posed to the senior managers, most often the answer is "no".
On the other hand, when the responder is in the field or on the shop floor, the answer very often is "yes".
Why the difference.
Simply put, most supervisors avoid applying discipline.
They are scared of losing the guys support.
On the other hand, the workers see one or two of the group getting away with transgressions, and they get really upset.
Yes, that is a fact! What I have found in most cases is that the guys who most want a disciplined environment are the hardworking individuals who are the backbone of any small business.
They want to know that every employee is treated equally, and that when they get up 30 minutes early on that snowy morning to be on time at the job site, they are not going to be held up by some shirker who shows up late.
Counter-productive behavior and the reluctance or inability of supervisors to effectively and consistently deal with this behavior is a serious problem for management.
This type of behavior is serious because it contributes to low morale and reduced productivity.
The cost of this behavior is very high, with significant impact on the bottom-line profits.
Dealing with this situation is not hard, but as with most management issues simply requires a simple set of rules and a commitment from management that those rules will be applied evenhandedly and effectively across the board.
The biggest mistake made by small business managers is failure to follow through.
"If you are late again, you will be suspended for the day.
" OK that's a good working statement but will totally backfire if the next time the individual is late he gets "The crew is short, you are just going to have to get over there".
He thinks "Hey, I am too important for them to discipline me.
" The rest of the crew thinks "Here I am working my butt off, and that guy gets away with this.
I might as well do the same.
" And the rot sets in.
Studies have revealed that workplace productivity is frequently less than 60% and one of the contributors to that poor performance is poor discipline.
And that bit about losing the guys support if you apply discipline, the reality is just the opposite.
You may lose the shirkers, but you will gain the honest admiration of the bulk of the team.
Source...