that new question of how to get employees to do the work you want

[Dave (imported)]

Arab Nights seems to want to pick my poor brain...

I'll have you know it's in the middle of a wolfie anthromorph story that I'm writing about aliens and first contact.

It's all basic management theory...

First be honest

second be fair

third listen to their problems

Fourth make sure they have the tools to do what you want them to do.

That might sound too much like the Tao lectures I used to read.

This isn't anything I've ever put into words.

[Losethem (imported)]

My last employer was missing 3 out of those 4. Maybe it was 4 out of 4, but I am trying to be open minded, but they certainly missed the 4th one by a mile.

--LT

[Dave (imported)]

I had one boss that I won't name but I called him the "ass-kissing weasel"... he did everything he could to backstab his employees.

.... XXX ....

Much of making an assignment is a matter of setting out what the assignment is, the quality work required, and the time to do it.

[Paolo]

Looks like I missed all 4 of 'em...

[DeaconBlues (imported)]

My last employer clearly missed all four, my current employer is light years ahead of what my last employer was.

The more I think about it, I really wish I could go into business for myself, it might be harsh and "a dog eat dog world" and all that, but at least I could work for myself - if I had a problem with my boss (that would be .... ME) I could have it out with me anytime. And one thing is for sure, as a boss I wouldn't tolerate any shit from my workers.... that would be... ME.

[Riverwind (imported)]

Yep, my last boss missed all 4 of them, a few months after I left the company she was demoted because she missed all 4 of them.

River

[A-1 (imported)]

Yep, my last boss missed all 4 of them, a few months after I left the company she was demoted because she missed all 4 of them.

River

They should have FIRED the BITCH...

Y'know, why is it that businesses today only pay attention to cash flow? Is it because that is the only thing for which they are held responsible? Y'know, working conditions are never considered until cash flow is affected, then they are demoted OR fired because of the cash flow problem.

Then, they bring another in to take over, and once cash flow is established the same thing happens all over again.

Isn't it remarkable that in the end the problem is laid upon employees if no manager can keep cash flow adequate, the problem becomes the workers and the business if it does not fail is re-located to a place where they can find a new bunch of suckers... er.. employees who have not had their attitudes or work ethics DESTROYED by bad management practices.

Then, the whole mess starts all over again.

If you do not want to relocate every 5 -7 years or so, NEVER get into management. If you only desire to be an employee, prepare to work 7 to 12 jobs during your working career.

[Dave (imported)]

Parts of this thread remind of of things employees should never do...

first, it's not the "other department's fault"

For a long time there was a lot of talk about "stupid bottle washers" (Chemists) in the other division who knew nothing about the real world and good stuff (engineering)

second, don't deride the other workers.

I Watched a boss defend one of his researchers after a vessel blew up and cause all sorts of angst (no one hurt or injured). He was right to defend the researcher. The Root Cause of the accident was not the researchers fault but that was the "snap" analysis -- the researcher as moron, as fool, as unsafe idiot, as not knowing anything about shit and putting together a high pressure unit. None of that was true or caused the accident.

A good boss ensures that his employees are not creating a culture of blame and failure and derision.

[Arab Nights (imported)]

Thanks for the post. I think in the post office thread you had said something about the post office being good at turning so-so workers into good workers. Do they have some kind of special program or guidelines or is it just a case of being selective about the managers they hire?

[Dave (imported)]

I don't know. I never worked at the Post Office. I only know that they are able to tolerate a wide variety of people considered unemployable by others.