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May 24, 2004
How Rude!
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:00 AM
Not sure if it's appropriate to join your employees for happy hour? Wondering if it's necessary to recognize staff birthdays? These can be tough questions for business owners to tackle. At large corporations, the boss usually follows the guidelines of the employee handbook. But most entrepreneurs play it by ear, making up their own rules along the way. To make matters even stickier, the line between boss and pal is often blurred at smaller companies, where the atmosphere tends to be more relaxed.
Luckily, Inc.com is here to help. Starting this week, Inc. staff writer Nadine Heintz will help you tackle office etiquette problems both big and small. Simply email your queries to nheintz@inc.com using the subject line "how rude" and check out the site each week for responses. Your identity will remain anonymous if you so choose, and remember: there are no stupid questions!
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I am the founder and CEO of a small commercial general contracting and land development firm. Because we are a small company and our environment tends to be less structured than most (family like) we have lost a few employees that otherwise may have been able to keep themselves in check. The lack of structure and some of these losses have caused us to rethink our corporate culture and seems to be pushing us toward a highly structured environment. This is not my vision for this company. Why can not employees handle the idea that a relaxed environment requires greater discipline than the alternative of manuals and structured working programs? What can be done to secure this environment for those who thrive in a self disciplined work environment and thwart off the typical pitfalls that have ranged from habitual tardiness to self appointed value which has created a sense of entitlement in a few employees. I have one empoloyee who feels as though despite his lackluster performance that he is due an ownership opportunity. This same employee feels because another employee is advanced that he also is due advancement. Same employee has been a personal friend created initially in the working arena. I am terminating his employment because of his sense of entitlement from our relationship but see no other choice as he has become disruptive to our employees and clients through his apparent frustration. I regret this but feel as though he has been damaging and even after discussions to correct this he remains disgruntal and vocal to anyone who will listen!
Any suggestions?
Dear David,
I know exactly how you feel!I can only tell you what I am doing to address the same problem in my own company and how I am working through these issues with some of my customers who have sought my assistance. Firstly, I agree with you. If your vision is one of a relaxed environment you must continue to live it! This means that those who want to stay and grow with you will need to understand the following points:
1) Being flexible does not mean being slack
2) A family culture means employee empowerment
3) Having structures and an employee manual with written rules and procedures does not conflict with the culture;in fact it can strengthen it further
4) If you can work on your business and delegate day to day Human Resources to someone else who is capable, respected and appropriate for this role.
5) Stay flexible and introduce CLEAR rules with regards to politics and rumours
6) Those who don't want to play ball can go and join the corporate world. They will be back begging within 1 week.
Good Luck
Lino
In my company, being flexible, allows us to demand more when accomplishing deadlines as well.
Small companies can allow familiarity with employees, when corporations will take a big procedures manual and a few days before they'll remember the new guy's name.
Not all employees (and jobs) are the same, some people will require manuals, memos and bosses to feel being part of something, others will take the freedom and unfold as exceptional partners for your business.
Not too bossy, not too friendly; playing by ear is the best advice, follow the vision you have for your company and stick with the good people that can adapt to your guidance and excel with their determination.
I agree with sticking with your vision. If nothing else, small companies should take on the personality of their founder/owner. In my small company, (six employees) we all accomplish our objectives a little bit differently. That doesn't mean any one of us is necessarily right or wrong. Remember to separate the "to-die-for" from the "preference" when dealing with various personalities. Too many rules and restrictions will most often hamper productivity, lower morale, and reduce the ability to react to important customers' needs.
We are experiencing the same problem. Our employees seem to think that a relaxed/flexible work environment means they do not need to work as hard.
I am beginning to think:
1. that my error is in my employee selection, where I was not able to determine who among the applicants will succeed/adapt in the kind of environment we are trying to make. or..
2. that such a relax/flexible working environment is not applicable to the kind of market competition we are in (and that is why the bigger companies became structured as they are).
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