As an employer, have you ever wanted to make your employees hate working for you and your company? No? Well, here are some sure fire behaviors you and your business may be exhibiting to achieve just that result.
MICROMANAGE AND CONTROL
Do you find yourself needing to know what everyone is doing at all times? Do you often feel that results are unsatisfactory and in order to get anything done right, you have to do it yourself? Do you expect your team to get your response or approval before taking action on even relatively small tasks and issues? Do you ask to be cc'd on every email? Do you want to see drafts before they go out to make minor tweaks which very often turn out to be a comma or one word added? Do you feel that people should just take their orders and be quiet and report back to you and you get angry or annoyed when someone tries to bring up a different opinion? Then you my friend may indeed be a micro-manager or control-freak and your best employees will hate you for it.
DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO
When you implement rules and procedures that you are unwilling to follow yourself, you are telling your team to do as you say, not as you do. The best leaders lead by example and that means putting your money where your mouth is. Your employees will follow the example you set forth at all times. For example, if you expect your employees to be at the office every day giving their best but you only show up two days a week and are unreachable most of those times, your team will question your leadership and dedication. A leader is always watched and needs to put forth double the effort they expect from their followers.
EQUATE FACE TIME TO PRODUCTION
Do you think that a person being in the office at their desk for ten hours equals production? This is antiquated thinking that was implemented when workers were in a factory setting or assembly line. Butts in seats do not automatically mean productivity in today's business environment. our employees want and deserve to be judged on results and in our always on, 24-hour society they are probably working more than they ever did.
HAVE NO RESPECT
If you ever yell at your people, especially in a public setting or in front of their colleagues, they will hate you. They will hate you even if doesn't happen to them but witness it happening to a colleague - they know they could be next. There should never be a point in your business where you verbally disrespect the people who work hard for you. Further to the point, if you react negatively when someone questions or challenges you in an honest manner then your employees will lie to you. Your team wants to feel they are respected for their contributions and values and they can easily sense when you don't really value them.
PRIORITIZE PROFIT OVER WELL-BEING
If every time someone is out sick or takes time off you make it an issue, you’re letting your team know that you value money over their well-being. Amazingly, studies have shown that disengaged, unhappy and sick workers cost more in production and money than a day off will ever cost.
NO TIME AVAILABLE
If every time a team member tries to meet with you, you tell them you are too busy and don't have time for them or rudely dismiss them, they will stop coming to you. No one is so busy that they are unable to take a moment to acknowledge a request made in person. Having an open door policy that is just lip service will make your employees cringe every time they need to approach you for something.
DON'T LISTEN
When your employees try to tell you things but you don't acknowledge them and their efforts, they will hate you. If they feel that every time something is discussed they are not heard they will feel isolated. To take this action further, when you meet with your team members but cant give them your undivided attention you are physically showing them that you are not listening to them. Remove the distractions and turn off your computer and phone or go to a meeting location where those distractions don't exist.
SELF-SERVING MANAGEMENT
If your purpose for the day is for the world around you to satisfy your own needs with disregard for those around you then you are practicing self-serving management. Your employees will know right away if you are in it only for yourself.
PRETEND DECISION MAKING
If you make decisions in a team meeting but had already made a decision or have the “real meeting” after and change what was decided together, your employees will sense this. They will resent going to these meetings when they believe the outcome is already decided or the decisions just get changed later without them.
If you read the above and felt that some of these behaviors are present in your organization - it's not too late - Contact ADVISABLE to get your employees to hang up their gloves and back on your team!
About the author
As the founder of Advisable, Gregg Perez combines his love and passion to help law firms, start-ups, and companies of varying size reach their best potential with the experience gained from working with Fortune 500 companies, law firms, and start-ups. As an Administrator, COO, VP and consultant, he brings years of consulting and real life experience to the table for his clients. Gregg is also a former US Army Cavalry Scout and once beat Contra without the Konami Code.