John and I had an hour-long phone call yesterday. The phone call was in response to an email he had sent after receiving my article on The Three Most Important Things In Life.
It seems that as John’s organization grows, changes are made to process, policy and direction. But the need to review and update these changes in written reference manuals has begun to lag behind. He presented me with an opportunity to offer input on how to make the updating of the written reference materials a higher priority for all involved in the organization.
“Courtesy” Management is a concept that I believe, if adopted by organizations everywhere, would be not only a time-saver but would allow employees the freedom to complete their tasks without needing to interrupt others in the workplace. It would also make them more autonomous in their responsibilities giving each employee the feeling of greater control over their jobs. When employees have autonomy in their work, performance goes up and morale goes up with it.
Here’s what “Courtesy” Management is.
Courtesy, although primarily thought of as a personal trait, is an attitudinal skill which can and should be utilized in the workplace. Courtesy is an attitude. When changes are made to corporate or organizational policy, those changes should be reflected right away in any archive written materials. If an employee goes looking for the answer to a question or concern, that employee should be able to find the answer in the written materials and manuals. I mean, where else would you look for information on policy other than the policy manual.
Update from an attitude of courtesy. Otherwise, a decision may be made based on out-of-date information and time will need to be taken later on to correct the mistake. Courtesy says that an employee should not have to wander the halls hoping to find the right person to answer a question which should be written down somewhere – especially as it pertains to policy, process and direction of the organization. Picture how frustrating it would be to one employee wandering the halls for one piece of information because no one that it important enough to inform the employees. What kind of attitude do you think that instills?
If an employee is sent in search of an answer that has not been updated in the written reference materials, he or she must interrupt the work flow of possibly many employees until the answer is found. Each time, other employees must stop to answer questions. They are then pulled away from their own work flow and performance and productivity suffer. What kind of attitude do you think results when that happens?
Courtesy says that people have jobs to do. The courteous thing to do is to respect that everyone wants to perform their job without unnecessary interruption. Therefore, if a change is made to organizational policy, computer software, etc., then the courteous thing to do would be to make sure everyone has easy access to the new information.
Forcing your people to go in search of an answer when they should be accomplishing their responsibilities is not a courteous thing to do to employees. So don't give them attitude for not getting more work done. Had the answer been where it was supposed to be, they would have been back to work much sooner.
Similarly, if an employee shows up at work with a flu bug, they risk infecting several others with the same bug. Courtesy says to stay away from others if you yourself are sick. Showing up at work while deathly ill is simply selfish, regardless of how much work needs to be done.
(Just this morning I received a phone call from my dentist’s office. My appointment today had to be rescheduled because my dentist is sick. I’m glad he chose not to come in today and risk infecting me with his bug. That’s a courtesy attitude in action.)
When you train your people to think “courtesy,” then you ensure that courtesy will begin to permeate the interactions with clients, customers and other staff and departments. Your people, while being respectful of others time, duties and responsibilities, will come to expect the same courtesies that they themselves offer up. What you then generate is a respectful workplace – one where people actually begin work closer together.
Make it a policy for your people, if they are sick, to leave a new voice mail message telling people that they are off sick today. That way, clients don’t expect to have their phone calls returned immediately. Better yet, find someone who can take the calls personally for the sick person offering perhaps a solution to a caller’s inquiry instead of piling up the workload for the person off sick. Be courteous to your clients and customers as well as your people.
An attitude of courtesy is easy but not simple. Here’s the problem: courtesy can not be taught. It can only be modeled. It has to be modeled from the top down. You, as the boss, must ask yourself at every opportunity whether or not you are the model of courtesy in your actions. I’m not saying you have to start “wimping” out and walking on eggshells around your people. But I am saying that you can still be firm, forthright, respectful and courteous all at the same time.
You, as the boss, will instill the same courtesy in your staff that you yourself model. You can’t tell people how to be courteous. You have to show them. Your attitude has to show them. Think of how refreshing it would be to have a staff that wanted to be courteous and still productive. It can be done. You just have to have the attitude that you want it done.
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