So Brett, Justin, Jason and I were coming back from dinner last night and discussing the merits of HPWS (high performance work systems) and how / why not many companies use this method. The main problem with the work force in America is nobody WANTS to go to work. There's no type of goal structure set up (for the most part) and those that work harder are not rewarded any differently than those that do not. Delette got me thinking about this, along with Kakies, about how work places are trying to limit access and freedoms by restricting employee privileges. Even something as small as gtalk will let the employee feel they are not trapped in a cage while in the office and will give them more motivation to do work. Thoughts? I think the HPWS is one of the best tools employers don't use. If the employer is going to slack off and not do their work, you'll figure that out regardless of whether or not they're in the work place. Why not offer more options like flex time and working from home? More benefits for finishing projects / goals on time or ahead of time? Give employees a reason to want to succeed, not a fear of always being fired and the gloom of a 6 x 6 cubicle.
because idiots are in charge, and idiots promote more idiots that won't be a threat to their job people don't like to work in draconian sweat shops. make them feel appreciated and let them have their freedoms. if you are a manager and your thought process goes something like "gee, I better make sure my employees are working 100% of the day. better install that net monitoring software!", then you are fucking up at light speed.
^^^ lol i was talking to a friend about this (on gtalk, ironically enough), and he had this to say how people work just hard enough to not get fired and that is especially true with the economy/job market the way it is right now people arent going to kill themselves for a job, but they are going to do just enough to keep the job they have and a lot of large companies (mine) refuse to reward employees who work hard I don't blame him for saying it, either...I would venture to say at least 95% of us feel that way, and the 5% who don't only say that because they own their own businesses.
lol...just saw this. stalking that new chick so bad you know about her work environment? dude there are laws against that...
I agree with others that it may be less "restricting freedoms" and more "reward the worker." I'm in this very situation right now. The company I work for is NOTORIOUSLY bad for treating their employees now. It used to not be this way. Now though, if you are management or in supply chain, you get treated like royalty. There are people getting free lunch every day, days off to go to baseball games(Not having to use PTO) and other events, company paid for drinking/lunch excursions, etc. The guys in the trench get nothing. I singlehandedly saved a project deadline. I saved the company well over $200K documented. The program manager that PUT the project in the crapper, got a bonus and letter of appreciation. I got nothing. Not even a thank you. S'ok. I have interviews lined up with T-Mobile and AT&T soon. I have a looooong documented work history of busting my ass for whatever company I work for. Someone will appreciate it.
Question: what benefit do i get for working my ass off by staying motivated, concentrated, and or staying late. Answer: more stress, less life enjoyment, worse health, less social life, and a few extra bucks in my pocket that chances are doesnt make a difference in that persons day to day life. The only way a person really gets motivated is when they have a true tie to the company and/or products and the success or failures that the company experiences. Even then, mindless jobs always exist and always have to be done.
I worked for a pretty big company a few years back and one of the big wigs told me... "Play the game enough but play it well and look good while doing it and you'll get far in this company..."
You work from home. Most likely a privilege of you working hard, and getting your work done in a timely manner
Well, and I understand this can't work for all situations, but the theory behind the HPWS is you work from where ever you want, whenever you want. You have a set list of assignments and whether you do them at three in the afternoon or three in the morning doesn't matter, as long as they get done. You then get bonuses paid on completion ahead of schedule. This would motivate you to work on the project more than you would if you were stuck in a cubicle for 9 hours a day and knew you got nothing out of it...you could instead be at home with the family, on vacation, on the golf course, where ever, as long as the job is completed. This model, though not in its entirety, could be rolled over to help accommodate different situations. Regardless, at the end of the day, employers need to find ways to encourage their workers to WANT to come to work. Everybody has different forms of motivation, I believe management should figure out what those are and play to those strengths in order to maximize the potential of said employee.
I have been working from home the majority of the time for the last 2 years. I consider it part of my compensation. They save money and get more work out of me this way too.
I wish I could at least 1 day a week. The more the better....not like I have to be there every day to do my job.
throw retail into this. and you'll see the reason so many companies treat their employees the way they do is because their employees steal time, don't want to work for their money, or are generally thieves. i tell/have told my employees, that i honestly don't care what they are doing during downtimes. as long as the restaurant is spotless, customers are happy, and they look busy when the owners are around. texting, sitting, conversing, and watching ESPN (or whatever channel i happen to put the tvs on)are among the most popular activities at my job right now.
i got moved and lucked out, it's 8x8 cube and one entire side is completely window. very encouraging, i hated being in the middle of a floor. not sure how easy it would be to lose this cube, would prob be extremely depressing
this idea would work much better for salaried employees working for larger companies, but that philosophy is exactly what i'm talking about (both paragraphs). Those that steal from the company will eventually be discovered / dealt with, and letting employees do as they please (assuming responsibilities are met and there's no neglect to potential customers) will make them appreciate you more as a boss / manager and encourage them to work harder for you
Two points 1. This general lack of respect/appreciation by management for the "trench" workers is what allowed powerful labor unions to be created and thrive. Granted, they were created in an emerging industrial setting where bad working conditions were deadly and not just unpleasant, but the attitude is similar. Management will eventually have to wise up or they will find the company becoming less competitive, thus opening up room in the market for new competition. 2. There is real opportunity for the creation of new businesses at this time. Financial capital in the form of credit is not very easy to get, but costs are lower in terms of both real estate and labor. So if you can get enough expertise together and convince some with capital to back anew company, you could be in business for yourself.
Haaaaa. Would have commented on this thread earlier, but SOK blocked wrxatlanta on my work computer. :| So much fail