#tools #jobs #employers #employees #WorkingRelationships
To paraphrase a PayCom TV ad: Are you using the right tools for your job? Why would any company not want you to have the right tools?
To illustrate, the ad shows a ditch digger using only a spoon and a high-rise window washer using only a toothbrush, for example.
The questions posed by the ad, however, are on point.
So many employers throughout the years have skimped on giving their employees the right tools for the job.
Perhaps they were hesitant to make the investment. Such thinking is shortsighted. The employer will either pay now, or pay later for that mistake.
Such thinking also forces employees to “make do” with what they have. That can have varying effects. It can bring out creativity and innovation among employees. It can also create frustration among employees, even to the point that they leave.
Though it may be difficult to have ideal situations in the workplace, it would be wise for employers to see employees simply “making do,” and wonder how much better their operations would work if the employees had the right tools.
In the modern workplace, the “right tools” can change quickly. Technology can become obsolete as soon as it is first integrated into an operation.
It’s a tough ask for employers to constantly update the technology. An employer can be constantly chasing shiny new objects. But the onus is on both employers and employees to find the sweet spot among jobs and tools.
Here’s a good rule: if employers and employees have good communication among each other, and everyone knows where everyone is coming from, that’s a great beginning.
Employees who need better tools need to sell the employer on the advantages of investing in such tools. Employers have to make it clear to employees how much money is available to invest in tools, and what the best bang for that buck is.
Some employers have surveyed employees on what they would like to have to do their jobs better. Answers can vary by the job, of course. But, in all cases, good communication and good working relationships among all concerned are required.
Some unions have resorted to destroying their tools in disputes with employers. Why would any worker destroy the things that THEY work with?
Do they think, by destroying their tools that they are never going to need them again?
In short, good tools make good work and good workers. Even with limited company budgets, employers have to know what tools will give their workers the best productivity.
Sometimes, that requires investment beyond a company’s perceived limit. Sometimes, employees have to innovate and create to compensate for the unavailability of certain tools.
No one wants ditch diggers to only have a spoon, or a window washer to only have a toothbrush. But finding the appropriate tools for various jobs can be a fluid process. Good communication and relationships among all concerned can facilitate that process.
Peter
Monthly Archives: October 2023
VIOLENCE CREATES MORE PROBLEMS THAN IT SOLVES
#viiolence #HittingBack #SolvingProblems #bullies #ChickenVsEgg
When we are hit, we usually want to hit back.
Sometimes, hitting back is necessary. In fact, we may have been taught as children that the best way to stop a bully is to fight back. The theory went that once the bully saw that you were gutsy enough to fight back, he or she would stop bullying.
Today, that doesn’t always work. Some bullies actually WANT you to hit back, because they believe they can show you to be the aggressor.
In some battles, the question of who started them can be illusive. The origins of a dispute can go back long before the actual violent incident.
Often, the origin of disputes becomes a chicken vs. egg question. Ironically, they can be irrelevant to the problem at hand. Or, long simmering grudges can be the crux of the problem at hand.
The point is that violence is unlikely to eliminate the dispute that caused it.
Why would someone commit violence if it doesn’t solve a problem?
Those who commit violence are often people with problems they cannot solve themselves. They feel put upon by someone, a group or something(s). They have no way out but to lash out.
Other times, those who commit violence let their emotions dictate their behavior. In human nature, that’s very easy to do. Committing violence makes the committer feel better, because his or her pent-up emotions have been released, albeit in a bad way.
Usually, they soon find out that their problems are not only unsolved, they are in even more of a pickle than they were before the violence. The good feelings of releasing pent-up emotions soon turn, well, sour.
Jealousy is another reason for violence. Someone has what you want, so you get it through violence.
That can work, at least if it is things that a person wants – until the perpetrator gets caught. Then, the problems begin anew.
If one commits violence over a person, like a jilted lover, he or she may not get that person back. In fact, it may cause the coveted person to resent the violent person even more.
This begs the age-old question. How does one solve problems without violence?
Talking certainly helps. Listening helps even more.
When there is both talking and listening, on all sides, agreements can be forged. Or, at least, decisions that violence will not solve the problem can be made.
So, the next time you feel aggrieved, by someone or something, stop. Think about how you are going to solve the problem. No matter how angry you may feel, know that expressing that anger through violence will only compound your grievance.
It’s much more easily said than done, of course. But, if one person can think first before acting on a grievance, there can be less violence in the world.
That one person could then become two etc. Better yet, those two can be on both sides of a dispute. When that occurs, resolved disputes abound.
Peter
INDEPENDENCE AND HERDING CATS
#independence #HerdingCats #interdependence #leaders #followers
Independence is a virtue.
We all want to do what we want, when we want, regardless of what others want us to do.
But, complete independence of others, in the real world, not only has pitfalls, but also can be hurtful, even dangerous.
Smart, independent people know when to convert independence to interdependence when warranted.
Cats are known for independence. It’s difficult to get them to follow anything. If they come to you, they do so on their terms.
We often see leaders trying to “herd cats” when too many independent people are under them.
Following a leader, or the crowd, has its own dangers.
Following for the sake of following can result in boring contentment, which can lead to underachievement, even danger.
Smart and independent people understand that, often, success comes when people work together. One can make another successful, and vice versa, when combining skill, talent and ambition.
Of course, for people to come together, there has to be a motive that results in the good of all.
Some independent people look for those who will follow unconditionally. Others prefer to earn followers through their own effort, or their contributions to the overall group effort.
Most parents want their children to be independent. They want to raise them with good values, so they can succeed on their own as adults.
Too often, children become so dependent on their parents that they never leave home. That’s not only a burden on the parents, but also a detriment to the child.
But, as parents raise children to be independent, they want them to learn the difference between independence and interdependence. Most parents would prefer children not only to succeed on their own, but also be an integral part of a community that does good things that benefit all.
So, be independent. But, use that independence wisely. Know what your limits may be, and when you may need help.
The world depends on independent people who know when interdependence takes precedence.
An old adage goes like this: lead, follow or get out of the way.
You can choose to lead, but to lead properly means helping those who follow to succeed. If you want to lead for selfish purposes, regardless of the effect on others, get out of the way.
For smart, independent folks, there are times to lead. There are times to follow. There may even be times to get out of the way.
True independence is knowing when and how to exercise it. Taking care of oneself is honorable, even desirable in some cases. But, don’t put oneself over the common good. That could cost you your independence.
To paraphrase the Golden Rule, if you do for others as you would have them do for you, you are truly independent.
Peter