‘Let’s catch people slacking off’
This mindset is a mindset that has prevailed forever. Before I became an employee retention speaker and employee retention author, I used to love “strolling” through the facility and catching people doing things RIGHT! Not the old “catch people doing things wrong” mentality. It was fun. And you know what, it was amazing how many things people do right during the course of a day. Instead, we always look for someone doing something wrong. Not only is it an outlook that is counter-productive from an employee retention strategies standpoint, but it is also a real downer because it’s a negative mindset.
Another mindset owners of companies often have is they want their employees to think like owners. Yet, when it comes to paying, employees get paid either an hourly wage or a salary. Rarely does this employee recruitment expert see owners of companies sharing the profits. We expect people to act like owners, but we treat them like “employees.” If you want them thinking like owners, it’s time to ante up.
Lastly, I see businesses do a terrible job of communicating and sharing information with their employees. If someone is treated like an owner, they would share information more readily and know what’s going on in the business. Owners should explain how the business operates and share much more information about profit and loss than most do. In some ways, they are VERY secretive. That way, when you have a bad year after having a good year, the employees would know how it happened and what is needed to pull out of the slump. It would not be some mystery. Mystery does not engender trust.
If you want to have your employees act like owners, taking these three steps will go a long way towards bringing out that thought process in your employees. If you want it to happen, it’s time for you to change your mindset. If you start thinking of employees as owners and treating them that way, most organizations would not be experiencing the employee turnover they are. After all, an owner just doesn’t walk off the job!
Remember, Give Your Employees C.R.A.P.®! (Caring, Respect, Appreciation, and Praise) Why? Because C.R.A.P. Works!
